Crossroads
by tervaco
Summary: Sequel to Love, Life, & Regret, Juniper Lee & Danny Phantom crossover, A new threat arises in the form of a war between the gods of the ghost world and magic world. Can June and Danny work together long enough to stop them? COMPLETE
1. Rising Storm

Crossroads

Chapter 1: Rising Storm

Prologue 1:

"It was, it was September,

Wind blows, the dead leaves fall,

To you, I did surrender,

Two weeks, you didn't call...

Your life goes on without me,

My life, a losing game,

But you should, you should not doubt me,

You will remember my name..."

A pony-tailed girl sat at her desk writing. Her mind was ablaze with his picture, his touch, his smile. Everything about him that she had once loved. He had meant the world to her, she would have done anything for him, but that wasn't enough.

"Oh, Ember, you will remember!

Ember, one thing remains!

Oh, Ember, so warm and tender!

You will remember my name!

Your heart, your heart abandoned,

Your wall, now perishing,

Like bad dreams in cold December,

Nothing, but ashes remain..."

She continued writing. Why did he leave her? Was there someone else? Was there something wrong with her? It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. She had given him everything and never asked for anything in return but his love.

"Oh, Ember, you will remember!

Ember, one thing remains!

Ember, so warm and tender!

You will remember my name!

Oh-woo-oh-woo, Ember!

You will remember!

Ember, one thing remains!

Ember, so warm and tender!

You will remember my name!

Yeah! You will remember my name!"

Now it was over and there was only one thing left. She heard the action slide behind her. He was here to take away the only thing she had left. Signing her name at the bottom of the page, she turned to face him, one last time. He smiled! He actually smiled as he pulled back on the trigger!

As the girl laid on the floor watching her blood spill out of her chest she reached for her page. Soon she would be dead, but this man would never forget her. He would never forget Ember McLain or what he had done to her. Someday…someday she would make him pay!

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Prologue 2:

"The boy is far too dangerous!"

"He has no control!"

"His unpredictable behavior makes him a risk!"

"A risk not only to those around him, but to the entire planet!"

"You can't do this! He's just a child!"

The grand hall echoed with the arguments of the council members. Each man was cloaked in grey and wore a hood hiding their faces from each other and the world. No one had seen their faces, no one actually knew they were the council members, but everyone respected their decisions and followed their commands.

"If his father were here it would be another story."

"His father is dead! He's the only one of his kind!"

"Which is exactly why he should be…quarantined."

"But you won't quarantine him, you want to kill him!"

"Only if he resists."

"You cannot allow your personal attachment to this situation to interfere with your responsibilities as a member of this council."

It was four against one. Majority ruled and a young life was about to be destroyed.

"I can see there is no point in arguing."

"The boy will be brought before us. Then, and only then, will we determine what to do with him."

"Captain of the Guard!"

Two large double doors opened to reveal a grey skinned man with long silver hair pulled back in a tail. He was dressed in black armor that squeaked as he stepped into the center of the room. At his hip hung a devilishly ornate and menacing scimitar. A blood red cloak was draped over his shoulders clasped to his armor by a golden leaf.

"Yes my lords?" he asked, bowing in respect.

"We have a mission in need of your expertise…"

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Prologue 3:

"I can't believe he's gone for the whole summer!" the Goth girl angrily declared scuffing the ground with her heavy boots.

The dark skinned boy walking beside her reeled back slightly, "Easy Sam, it's not like he's gone forever. He just needs some time and so do you. He didn't exactly leave on the best terms, you know?"

The Goth girl wore her hair up revealing the many piercings hanging from her ears. She had on a black sleeveless shirt with a purple circle in the center and a black and green miniskirt with purple stockings. Her feet clunked along in her favorite pair of steel toed boots.

Sam didn't want to admit she missed him. He'd left without even saying goodbye and that was her fault. He was one of her best friends along with the techno geek walking alongside her and she had just…she had just tossed him aside. She wasn't quite sure why she had done it or what their fight was even about, but it didn't matter. He was gone and she was stuck there in Amity Park.

"Maybe you should call him?" the boy asked.

"Right Tucker, and what would I say? You're right, we both just need some time to cool off," Sam replied in a depressed tone.

"Don't worry, he'll be back and everything'll be the same again. You'll see," Tucker happily declared walking through his front door. "See you later Sam."

Sam waved, "Yeah…later."

The Goth girl continued on her way home stopping outside of the Fenton Works. He would be back eventually, but until then, maybe she could call him, try to set things right.

"Take care of yourself Danny…"

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Prologue 4:

They thought they could lock him away, but they were wrong. Nothing could stop his plans. The pale skinned man dressed in a black derby and trench coat laughed hysterically as he scaled the ladder leading out of the sewers. His money was gone, his slaves had been freed, and his circus was shut down, but he was far from out.

"Guess what world?" he asked gleefully as he opened his arms breathing in the open air, "Freakshow's back and he's gonna rock your world!" His insane laughter filled the cool night air.

Now all he had to do was find the right tools…or rather, the right gems. Reaching into his coat, Freakshow produced a silver gauntlet with four slots running along the side.

"With this little baby I'll set the world right! It'll be under my command, aha ha ha!" he yelled ripping the gem from a chain around his neck.

Slapping the triangular gem into its place in the gauntlet, Freakshow continued laughing. He was only three gems away from total domination and there was nothing that could stop him…

"Oh yes," he said slyly, "Things are about to get freaky!"

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Prologue 5:

"So, how many dates have you and Danny gone out on?" the blonde witch asked tossing an ice spell at the demon in front of her.

The Asian girl she was talking to swung a lead pipe with all her might sending her own demon flying into a wall leaving a greasy smear as it slid down to the ground, "Three and we're going out again tomorrow."

A bespectacled boy threw another demon to the ground with a thud, "Ladies, do you think we could stay focused long enough to deal with these guys?"

The girls looked up to see three frost giants step up. That was strange. Demons and frost giants hated each other, so why would this group be working together? There would be time for that later.

"Ashley you take the one on the left, Chris you've got the one on the right, I'm going right up the center!" the Asian girl declared.

The three teens charged forward. The air around Ashley flashed with stars as she spoke her next spell. Chris' hands exploded in flames as he leapt into the air. And in the middle, Juniper Lee the Te Xuan Ze wound up her fist and then drove it deep into her giant's stomach.

The alleyway was filled with several flashes of light and a couple of howls of pain followed by three thumps that sounded the fall of the frost giants. In the sky above Orchid Bay a white haired individual heard the sounds of the battle and sailed down to investigate. What he found was anything but what he expected.

June walked over to the giant she had been fighting and lifted his head, which was the size of her body, "Alright slappy, what's going on here? Your kind hates goblins so why are you working together?"

The giant just moaned.

"Okay well that certainly doesn't help," Ashley blurted out.

"Come on, we probably just stepped into the middle of a gang fight," Chris suggested yawning, "Can we go home now? I'm getting hungry."

The white haired boy recognized June right away. How could he not? She'd been on three dates with him and she had another one with him tomorrow…although it wasn't really the white haired boy, but his alter ego she was going out with.

"June? What are you doing here?" he asked.

He knew she was different from the other girls in his life, but not this different! As he thought about that another thought occurred. What would she do if she found out about his powers? No, he didn't need to worry about that. She wasn't going to find out about his powers…besides if she really liked him the way she said she did then it shouldn't matter if he had powers or not.

The white haired boy turned and sailed into the air heading back towards his parents' condo. He had a big day tomorrow and he wanted to be sure he was at full strength for June.

To be continued…

This is it, the beginning. The Te Xuan Ze is unknowingly dating the Halfa and that's not the half of it. A war is brewing and all of these events tie into it, but how? When Ember returns she sets out to bring down her murderer, while Freakshow continues his search for the missing gems of the Reality Gauntlet, and the mysterious Captain of the Guard sets out to find his prey.

Plus be here when Ashley turns to Chris for combat practice. Can the last firecaster teach the blonde witch to fight or will he lose his mind in the process?

NOTE: The Ember in this story only shares the name and appearance of the Ember from Danny Phantom. As far as continuity goes, Danny has never before fought Ember and this is more of an origin story for her. This is important for how the rest of the story plays out.


	2. Thunder Crash

So here's the next chapter. It took long enough to write, but whatever, I've been really busy. One thing to note, Lila is pronounced Lee-La (like in Futurama).

Crossroads

Chapter 2: Thunder Crash

June walked along the sidewalk trying to think of something to say. Something, anything, but she just couldn't find the words. It didn't matter, she was with him and that was all she needed. The black haired boy looked over at her and smiled. He wore an innocent look and June couldn't help but think how cute he was. They'd only been going out for a matter of days, but something just clicked between them. She felt like she belonged with him.

"June?" the boy asked snapping her out of her thoughts.

She blushed looking up at him, "Yes Danny?"

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine why?" June responded.

Danny stopped and pulled her hands into his own, "You seem a little…distracted."

June bowed her head, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking."

Danny looked into her hazel eyes and felt his heart melt. It was true they had only just met, but he felt a connection to her that he'd never experienced before.

"What were you thinking about?" Danny asked with a grin.

"Um…" June blushed as she thought back on her daydream, "I was just…just thinking about…us…"

Now Danny was the one blushing, "What about us?"

June pulled a hand free of his grip and lightly caressed his cheek, "About how much I want to…kiss you."

Danny didn't respond. He didn't have to. Slowly the teens grew closer and closer until their lips were just millimeters apart. June's breath was sweet and cool as Danny puckered his lips. Her lips were soft and her kiss was sweeter than he expected. For several intense minutes they stood on that side walk lips locked, arms wrapped tightly around one another, their minds racing as they gave into their passion.

High above the teens flew a familiar white dragon. He was sure to stay out of sight as he patrolled the city. Atop his back was his friend and protégé Chris Fields. The bespectacled teen looked down at his adopted sister and smiled. She deserved to be happy especially after all that'd happened recently.

The teen wore a green t-shirt with a yin-yang over his heart and his favorite pair of khaki pants. His black Vans hung from his feet as he clung to his dragon and his brown hair fluttered in the wind as the pair dove behind a building to see if there was something that needed his attention. It was a slow day. It had been a relatively slow month. There wasn't too much that required the Te Xuan Ze's attention. A couple of wannabe warlocks, an evil witch, some freaked out speed demons, and of course the goblins and giants from last night, but other than that there was nothing else. It seemed that since they had defeated the Seven Devils and their leader Kale that there just wasn't anything else to do.

"So what do you think?" Haku asked.

Chris thought about it for a moment, "Well, we've checked every trouble spot, we've looked up the guys on probation, and we've scouted The Nook. There's really nothing going on."

Haku smirked, "You're not saying that to try to get out of watch duty are you?"

"No! Come on Haku you know I'd never do that," Chris said sarcastically.

The pair laughed as they finished their second full sweep of the city. There really was nothing more for them to do except wait for whatever came next.

"Should I drop you at Jody's?" Haku asked happily.

The dragon had grown fond of the blonde girl. She was always surprising him with how strong she was, especially when it came to dealing with the magical world. The girl was a perfect match for Chris, she had become his sheath.

"Sounds good," the bespectacled teen answered with a smile.

"Right then," Haku announced soaring towards Jody's home.

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"Uh Jack, maybe you shouldn't use that in here?" Robert Irwin nervously asked.

Jack Fenton spun around holding a large bazooka that had been transformed into an ecto-cannon. His black and orange jumpsuit squeaked as he moved and his toothy grin filled his goofy face.

"Nonsense Bobby, this baby's perfectly safe…unless you're a ghost. You're not a ghost are you?" Jack asked narrowing his eyes.

Robert gulped, "For the last time, I AM NOT A GHOST!"

Jack just smiled, "Well okay then."

In the kitchen Maddie Fenton sat talking with Martha Irwin. The two had been roommates back in college and though their interests had grown quite a bit since then, they were still good friends.

"So Maddie…when did Jack get so…you know?" Martha asked sipping her tea.

"Well he's always been a bit of a genius Martha," Maddie answered.

"Oh…I wasn't really…never mind," the blonde woman said dropping the subject of Jack's insanity.

Upstairs, Jody Irwin sat on her bed brushing her golden hair and humming a tune. She wasn't sure where she'd heard it but the song had been stuck in her head all week. When the doorbell rang, her head snapped up. She had to get to the door before Mr. Fenton did!

Bounding down the stairs Jody skidded to a stop when she came face to face with a wide eyed Chris covered head to toe in green ooze.

"Well, he's not a ghost!" Jack declared happily.

"Ah, yeah…" Jody muttered as Chris wiped his eyes free of the ooze.

"Not exactly the greeting I was hoping for," he remarked as a smile crossed his face, "But I've certainly had worse."

Jody yelped as he pulled her close and planted a slimy kiss on her cheek leaving a green mark.

"Do you want to get cleaned up?" Jody asked leading him upstairs.

Below them her mom yelled up, "I'm sure Chris can bathe himself honey."

"MOM!" the blonde teen moaned in embarrassment.

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Danny and June sat on a hill in Orchid Bay Park watching the various families and groups enjoying their Saturday afternoon. One group was playing baseball while another was enduring football practice. June smiled as she leaned against Danny's shoulder and felt his arm wrap around her. She hadn't been this happy in a very long time and she didn't want the feeling to go away…unfortunately she knew any minute something would appear and her bracelet would go crazy forcing her to abandon her new boyfriend to go deal with it. That was her curse.

The raven haired teen looked down at the Asian girl in his arms and smiled. He couldn't believe they had just met and they were already this close…a flash of last night appeared in his mind. She had wailed on those creatures and then banished them without a second thought. What would she do if she ever found out he was Danny Phantom? He shook his head, she didn't need to know. He could keep both lives separate…he had to.

As the pair sat on their hill looking out over the park, they were unaware of the presence watching them from the tree line. The presence wasn't evil, it wasn't malevolent, it was actually an old friend. The brunette haired girl sniffed the air as she emerged from the forest. It had been a long time, but she was finally ready to come back to her friends.

"June!" she announced catching the couple off guard.

The Te Xuan Ze spun unsure of what to expect, but was met by a tight hug that continued to grow tighter and tighter until she felt a pop.

"Ha ha, hi Lila," June managed to squeeze out patting her friend on the back.

The brunette stood several inches taller than June with shining emerald green eyes and tanned skin. Her light orange shirt clung to her toned body as the wind blew through her torn brown jeans. At her neck hung an unusual pendant, three bear claws held together by a leather band while her ears each held a small golden spike that glistened in the sunlight.

Danny watched the reunion while trying to hold back a fit of laughter. The new girl was talking a mile a minute as she informed June she was ready to come back home and as she changed subjects again and again she would make funny gestures with her hands. Finally she stopped and looked over at the raven haired teen with a big smile.

"So…who's your friend?" she asked.

June shook her arms out and popped her waist back in place as she introduced Lila to Danny, "Lila, this is my boyfriend, Danny Fenton."

"Nice to meet you Lila," Danny said politely, reaching forward to shake the girl's hand.

He actually felt a little small as Lila's hand completely engulfed his own and shook with a lot of force.

"Your boyfriend, huh?" Lila asked June with a grin.

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"We're going out Mom!" Jody yelled pulling Chris out onto the street and away from the madness of her home.

The bespectacled teen was still reeling from being covered in ooze, but at least now he was clean and his clothes had been washed. The pair grabbed hands and set off to the Park to find June and Danny, but along the way Jody brought up some plans for the rest of the weekend.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?" she asked cautiously.

He looked up into the sky and bobbed his head back and forth thinking, "Well, I was supposed to meet with the Turellians and Kieselbaums to mediate a treaty, then I was supposed to seal a Buggian portal over at Charlie Cheese's, and then it was off to dinner with the Draconian ambassador, but I'd much rather spend the day with you."

Jody laughed, "Well, I was just wondering because I just happen to have two tickets to a sold out concert."

This caught Chris' attention, "Really? Who are they for?"

She could tell he was really excited about the tickets, "Ever hear of Ember McLain?"

"No, but she sounds pretty cool…" they walked on in silence for a few seconds until he came to a screeching stop, "Waitaminnit! She's not a pop idol is she?" Chris was suddenly very worried he was being dragged to a punk-wannabe show with some prissy preening pop princess.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Jody explained placing a passionate kiss on his lips.

Entering the Park the first thing the couple caught sight of was a familiar brunette girl they hadn't seen in nearly a year. The girl turned to face them as her highly attuned nose caught their scents.

"Guys! Guess who's back!" Lila yelled running up to them. Chris leapt back as the six foot one brunette pulled him into a tight hug and lifted him off the ground, "Oh Chris it's great to see you again!"

Jody just laughed as they greeted each other much the way Lila and June had, but she stopped laughing when Lila pulled her too, into a hug.

"Welcome back Lila," Jody said through gritted teeth trying to pull free of the vise-like embrace.

"So you're back," Chris said, "For how long?"

Lila turned to face him, blushing, "Well, I uh…I was hoping I could stay here forever…maybe you and I could…you know…"

Chris let out a nervous laugh as he shook his head and tried to shush her, "Well, uh you're more than welcome to stay for as long as you want."

"Where are you going to stay?" Jody asked as June and Danny joined them.

"Well I'll probably stay with Chris the same way I used to, at least until I can find a permanent place to stay," the brunette announced unaware of the relationship between Chris and Jody.

"Ha ha ha, yeah um, well I uh…" Chris stuttered trying to find an appropriate answer.

"What about your parents?" Jody asked seemingly ignoring what she'd just heard.

Lila shrugged her shoulders, "They decided to stay out in the woods…"

"In Wyoming!" June finished for Lila.

"Oh you were living in Wyoming? That's such a beautiful state. You know if you need any help finding a place to live or moving in, I'd be happy to help," the blonde offered.

Lila just smiled at that as the group exited the Park and headed for the Lotus Petal.

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As the teens got to know one another over dinner, Chris noticed how open Lila had become. The once shy, private girl had become very open and talkative. She especially spoke to him and Jody, very interested in their relationship. She hadn't said anything about moving in with him since the park, and for that Chris was very thankful. He kept waiting for Jody to ask him about his history with Lila, but the question never came up.

June and Danny laughed as Lila spoke about the last time she'd been there and about everything she'd dealt with while in "Wyoming". Every now and then she'd get too close to revealing their secret and the others would have to quickly cover up for her, but Danny just laughed at that too. He didn't think there were friends as close as this except for Sam, Tucker, and himself. They proved he was wrong.

The raven haired teen came to know the others very well as their meal went on. He found a good friend in Chris and more in Jody and Lila. After his fight with Sam the day before he left, he was feeling very angry and lonely, but now he felt like his usual self. He had grown very close to the others very fast.

"If you'll excuse me," June said standing up, "I'm gonna run to the powder room."

Jody and Lila quickly ran after her as the waiter approached with the bill and set it down between Danny and Chris. The two teens looked at each other and back at the bill before Chris reached down and opened the leather holder.

"Alright, you want to pay for you and June, I'll cover the rest?" he asked picking up the receipt.

Danny smiled as he pulled out his wallet, "Yeah, that sounds fair."

They both laughed. Chris had felt a little uneasy about meeting Danny, but now that feeling was replaced with one of mutual respect. Maybe the two of them would wind up being better friends than he thought.

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Jody and June stood at the sinks washing their hands as they spoke.

"Danny seems really nice," Jody stated.

June smiled, "Yeah, he is. I'm just glad he and Chris are getting along."

Lila stepped up beside them, "Why wouldn't they be getting along?"

June took a deep breath as she dried off her hands, "Well, they have a lot in common, but you know how Chris is, he can be more than a little over protective."

"He promised me he'd give Danny a chance," Jody explained.

"I'd say they're gonna be pretty good friends," Lila finished.

Suddenly June's bracelet went off shattering their good feeling and filling them with a sense of dread.

"You two go distract Danny, I'll handle this," June explained.

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Danny stood in the lobby with Chris, laughing as the bespectacled teen finished his joke.

"So this guy walks into a bar with a full grown giraffe and they start drinking. A couple hours later the giraffe passes out on the floor, stone cold drunk. The man pays the tab and as he starts to walk out the door the bartender calls after him, 'You can't leave that lyin' there!'. The man turns around and says, 'That's not a lion, it's a giraffe!'"

Both teens burst out laughing, but quickly stopped. A breath of frozen air shot through Danny's body and out his mouth while Chris' pendent began to flash.

They looked at each other and in unison both yelled, "I'll be right back!"

Danny ran into the men's room while Chris ran out the front door.

Outside, the firecaster quickly scanned the area for the disturbance. June exited the restaurant and came up behind him just as a giant wooden crate came flying at them. Ducking under the crate, the pair ran towards the direction it had come from. As they neared an abandoned looking building they could hear fighting. Opening the door and stepping through, they saw a green skinned ogre fighting with a pale skinned, flying man dressed in grey overalls, black boot and gloves, and a grey beanie.

"Hold still you pest!" the ogre yelled swinging its monstrous fist at the flying man.

"I am the Box Ghost! You cannot defeat me when I am surrounded by my weapon of choice!" the flying man yelled as wooden crates floated up around him.

"Box Ghost?" June asked laughing.

Chris just shrugged his shoulders, "Is there really such a thing as ghosts?"

It was a valid question. They had seen demons, orcs, goblins, angels, and the occasional jack-a-lope, but they'd never come across a ghost before.

The Box Ghost threw as many of the crates as he could sending the ogre into a dazed confusion. Finally the ogre toppled over unconscious as the Box Ghost floated over to the fallen creature.

"I am the Box Ghost! Beware!" he yelled triumphantly.

June stepped out of the shadows clapping, "Very nice, now why don't you come down from there buddy boy."

"You cannot command the Box Ghost!" he yelled tossing a crate at the Te Xuan Ze.

June ducked and ran forward only to be caught from the side by another crate. Slamming to the ground, she stood up and smiled.

"We tried to do this the easy way," she started.

"But you just had to do it the hard way!" Chris finished leaping forward swiping at the ghost with blazing hands.

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Danny Phantom went intangible and stuck his head through the brick wall to have a good look as to what he was getting himself into. What he saw was anything but what he expected. June and Chris were facing down the Box Ghost…

"Wait a minute…" Danny thought, "Why is that moron here anyway?"

Suddenly the annoying ghost was slammed into the same wall Danny was looking through. Chris, his hands still ablaze, lifted the Box Ghost by his collar and looked at him curiously.

"I thought a ghost would have been stronger," the bespectacled teen said almost sounding disappointed.

"Or at least harder to fight," June added walking up to look at their catch.

"Don't get your hopes up, he's the weakest ghost you'll ever face," Danny said announcing his presence. June and Chris leapt back ready to fight, but Danny quickly raised his hands, "Wait, wait! I just want to talk."

June looked at the white haired teen, sure that she had met him before. There was something about his eyes and his voice, they were just so familiar.

"Alright, talk," Chris said in a stern voice, "What's going on and who are you?"

Danny settled to the ground, "My name is Danny Phantom and I guess you could say I'm the guy who keeps the ghost problems under control."

"Uh huh, so what…did this guy slip by you or something?" June asked sarcastically.

Danny blushed, "Actually I'm uh…I'm sort of on vacation, but I guess this guy followed me."

Chris didn't buy it, there was something this guy wasn't telling them. That was when the ogre regained consciousness. It immediately went into a blind rage swinging wildly sending crates and debris flying in every direction. Danny went intangible just as a piece of rebar flew threw his stomach. Looking to June for what to do he saw her dash forward and punch the ogre in the face with all her might. The walls of the building rattled as she threw another and another, but the ogre just wouldn't go down!

Right behind June, Chris punched the ogre's legs trying to bring the enormous creature down, but the creature's rage had set in. this wouldn't end well. Taking a cue from the others, Danny charged up a blast of ghost energy, but just as he was about to release it into the ogre's face, a crate flew up beneath him and knocked his aim off. It was too late, the blast had already been released…Chris turned just in time to see June get hit. His eyes went wide as his half-sister fell to the ground at the ogre's feet.

Turning to face Danny, Chris' eyes flashed with hatred and fire. He wanted to wail on that ghost kid and make him pay for shooting June in the back, but that would have to wait. The air around Chris became blisteringly hot as a ball of red hot energy formed in his hands. Roaring as he released the blast, Danny flew to June.

The ogre fell to the ground with a thud sending up a cloud of dust that completely filled the room.

Danny held the Asian teen in his arms trying to see if she was alright when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was quickly spun into a punch that sent him reeling back. If he didn't get out of there now, he was going to wind up just like the ogre! Looking back, Danny could just barely make out the shape of Chris lifting June to her feet. At least she was okay…but the damage had already been done.

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It had been fifteen minutes since the alarms had gone off when June and Chris finally rejoined the others. They were still trying to pat all the dust off themselves, but they didn't look any worse for wear. June's back was a little tender but at least it wasn't bleeding or glowing.

"Hey, where's Danny?" June asked.

Chris looked around, "I saw him run into the bathroom just before all of that, but..."

The doors of the restaurant burst open as Danny Fenton ran out with a surprised look on his face. The others just looked back at him, concerned and more than a little curious.

The raven haired teen just laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, "Ha ha, sorry, must have been something I ate."

Chris smiled and shook his head while June walked up to him and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"What was that for?" Danny asked blushing slightly.

"You just looked like you could use it," June answered with a big smile.

With that, the group of teens began their walk home unaware that just moments ago they had been duking it out.

To be continued…

This took a lot longer to write than I expected it to, but I think it was worth it. Anyway, so Danny meets everyone in this chapter and reveals his alter ego, Danny Phantom, to Chris and June. While the first meeting couldn't have gone better, the second couldn't have gone worse. Now Danny has to be even more careful because he'll spend half his time loving June and the other half trying to defend himself from her.

Also, more on Chris and Lila's past. What is he so adamant about hiding and why isn't Jody asking the same question? Plus, be here for Jazz and Ray-Ray's first encounter. Hopefully this next chapter won't take a month and a half to write!


	3. Lightning Strikes

Crossroads

Chapter 3: Lightning Strikes

It had been several days since their first encounter with the mysterious ghost boy calling himself Danny Phantom and since then June and Chris have had their hands full. The latest attack was a goblin/orc hybrid, a minority within the magical community that had begun to grow. The creatures were high strung, incredibly strong, and more dangerous than either form on its own…

"Heads up!" June yelled, ducking as the creature swiped at them with one misshapen arm lined with talons.

The strike sent her bespectacled brother crashing into a thick window that cracked around him, but refused to shatter. Sliding down the wall of glass with a moan Chris looked up. His eyes were red and blurry, they'd been at this nearly nonstop for three days now! Reaching up to steady himself, the teen charged forward roaring.

His raven haired sister stepped back to watch him pummel the creature into submission. After five punches it was done and the boy kneeled on the chest of his fallen opponent taking deep breaths and trying to hold back a massive yawn. He had the right idea, she was exhausted! What was coming that was creating so much turmoil?

Standing up and wobbling, Chris announced, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"I know what you mean," she agreed allowing her yawn to escape.

The pair slowly exited the office building not bothering to hide the fact they were in there. Life had become much more difficult recently.

"You sure you can handle patrol tonight?" Chris asked yawning as they stumbled home.

June looked at him and smiled, "I'll be fine, besides I owe you. You've been covering me so I could spend time with Danny. If I really need your help I'll call you, okay?"

"Thanks sis," he happily agreed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was 3 A.M. when Chris finally slipped away into his dreams, but next door his sister wasn't nearly as lucky. Tossing and turning as she tried to find a comfortable position, June couldn't clear her mind of the thoughts that something terrible was coming. Worse, she'd been having dreams about a monstrous battle for several weeks now. Each night she would slip into the recurring nightmare and each morning she would awake in a puddle of sweat, her eyes gushing tears like an angry wound.

What did her dreams mean? The last time she had experienced something this intense was…she didn't want to think about that now. It was still too hard to believe. Rolling over to face her wall she let thoughts of Danny drift into her mind in an attempt to quell the ominous thoughts dwelling within her subconscious. As she thought of Danny she began to think of the mysterious ghost boy that had shown up the other night. Who was he really? And what had happened? He claimed he was on their side, but then he shot her in the back. Was it an accident? Chris sure didn't think so, but then again, he'd been changing over the past several weeks.

The first meeting was three days ago and she hadn't seen or heard from him since. Maybe Ah-Mah knew something…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a Saturday morning with a red sun rising. Jody happily hummed a tune she'd heard on the radio as she pulled her hair back in her usual pigtails. Tonight was the big night, she and Chris were going to the Ember McLain concert! As she pulled on her blue jeans she stopped to think for a moment. Holding up her nice, new jeans Jody decided to put them back. After several minutes of searching she stepped up to her mirror wearing a pair of dirty jeans with both knees blown out and rips up and down the legs. She donned a dark blue hoodie and her black sneakers and set out to meet Chris.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile unbeknownst to our heroes, a secret meeting was taking place…

The Colonel felt exposed without his battle armor. His old military uniform was a bit snug around the chest, but he smiled when he thought about the medals dangling from his chest. Distinguished Service Medals from his two tours of duty in Vietnam, a Purple Heart, and several Service Ribbons hung over his heart.

This meeting was something that should have happened a long time ago, he thought to himself, straightening his collar as he shifted in his chair. The feds were keeping him waiting, the same way they always did, but that was the price to pay when you worked with men like this. These were two organizations dedicated to the eradication of dangerous minorities, magical creatures and ghosts.

The old soldier shifted in his seat again as two men entered the room. One black the other white, but both wore identical white suits and both were bald. Their movements were completely identical, leaving the Colonel thinking he was watching twins. The pair pulled out their chairs, sat, and cleared their throats all in unison with one another. It took everything he had for the Colonel not to burst out laughing.

"Thank you for coming," the black agent said, "I am #1, this is my partner…"

"#2," the white agent finished, "Our leader has taken your offer into consideration."

"I know you federal boys like to take your time with these kinds of decisions, but I need an immediate answer," the Colonel explained.

The agents stifled a laugh, "Yes well, unlike the military, we don't rush blindly into anything, especially when it involves the halfa and this…Te …Te…" #1 repied.

"Te Xuan Ze," the Colonel finished.

"Yes, the Te Xuan Ze," #2 added, "This isn't something we can afford to run headlong into."

"Your ghost boy is very impressive, but he is only a nuisance compared to the Te Xuan Ze and the magical world," the Colonel told them.

#1 started, "They are both high level threats and that is why…"

"Our leader has asked us to investigate before dedicating our resources," #2 finished.

"Very well," the Colonel replied, trying to keep his anger in check, "Maybe this will convince you of the severity of the threat posed by these creatures." He stood and opened his briefcase, pulling out a thick file, "Make your decision quickly, my sources inform me something huge is on the horizon."

"Thank you Colonel," the agents said in unison.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the Colonel exited the drab gray building a black limo pulled up alongside him. It stopped and two men stepped out in strange suits of armor.

"Your car Colonel," one of the men said opening the door for the old soldier.

Inside, the Colonel was met by his lieutenant, a blonde haired man with deep blue eyes who saluted in respect.

The Colonel returned the salute then pulled off his jacket, "What's the latest Lieutenant Samuels?"

"Strike teams are ready and in position, they only need the go, sir," Samuels explained.

"Good," the older man replied, "The GiW will be observing before they make a decision to join, but I guarantee once they see what we're up against they'll hop aboard with us."

"That's excellent news, Colonel! Then I assume that tonight's operation is a go?" Samuels asked excitedly.

The Colonel rubbed his chin while looking out the window, "This may be our only chance to stop what's coming…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saturday afternoon came along and found Chris up in his usual tree humming to himself as a ball of flame danced in the palm of his hand. The fire danced and popped taking shape after shape never being able to hold one shape for long enough to complete a full transformation.

"Just think, a few months ago you could barely complete a summoning spell," a voice called from below.

The bespectacled teen clenched his hand dispersing the flame and looked down to find his little sister. Her clothes were ruffled and dirty while her hair stood on end with sparks going off at the tips.

"What happened to you?" he asked laughing.

June reached up trying to straighten her hair, "Thunder weevil, he got into the park lake…again."

Hopping down, but falling on his butt laughing, "You should have called."

"Oh, laugh it up four-eyes," June yelled stomping her foot.

"Four-eyes, huh? Well at least I don't look like a licked a light socket!" Chris retorted leaping to his feet as his sister charged after him.

"Get back here!" June screamed, "I'm not done with you!"

Jody could only laugh as she watched the brother and sister wrestle with June quickly taking the upper hand, holding Chris face down in the grass. June was her best friend and Chris…well he was the love of her life.

"You two having fun?" the blonde girl asked interrupting the sibling feud.

June looked up at her friend while continually slamming Chris' head down, "Hi Jody!"

"Uh! Ow! Hey…uh! Hon!" Chris spouted through his beating.

Jody continued laughing as June pushed his face back down and stepped on him before walking back to the house, "Have fun you two."

The couple waved as they set off for the big concert. Jody clung to Chris' arm, walking along with her eyes closed, and a huge smile on her face. She knew that June had agreed to cover for Chris while they went to the concert, but somewhere in the back of her mind she couldn't help thinking something was going to come along to ruin the evening…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

His cloak flowed in the wind high above the city as the familiar pair of teenagers made their way to the stadium. The man's blazing red eyes focused on the boy. He had found his target, but there were too many people around to take him now.

"Soon…" he seethed spinning and leaping into the sky.

Landing in an alleyway several blocks from the stadium, he stepped out of the small crater left from his impact and began setting up his trap…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June had finally gotten her hair down when her bracelet sounded again. Bowing her head in anger she turned and set off to find the latest threat to the balance. As she exited her home she felt that maybe she shouldn't have given Chris the night off…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The stadium was packed but as they were lead up to the first few rows a huge smile crossed the bespectacled teen's face. It had been a long time since he'd been to a concert, but he'd never had seats this good before! Stepping into their row he grabbed Jody around the waist and placed a deep kiss on her lips.

"Thanks for this Hon!" he yelled over the roar of the crowd.

Jody smiled and kissed him again, "You're welcome!"

The stage suddenly went black and the crowd quieted down. For several long minutes the stadium was eerily silent and creepily dark. Slowly a cheer began to pass around the stadium…

"EMBER! EMBER! EMBER!" the people clamored.

Chris smiled to himself and joined in, squeezing Jody's hand as he did so. The blonde teen squeezed back as she too joined in on the rally. Almost as if in reply to their call, the stage exploded in an iridescent purple light. In the center of the light smoke began pouring out over the audience and a pale skinned girl with glowing blue hair appeared on the stage, almost as if from nowhere! She was dressed in knee high, high soled boots with skulls. Her shirt and pants were shredded and dangling from her neck were several necklaces and an ankh. Her wrists were covered in leather straps and floating in her hand was a hot pink guitar with blue highlights. Slowly the girl looked up revealing her face, there were black designs drawn under each eye and her eyes gave off a creepy blue glow.

"ORCHID BAY!!!! ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?" she yelled pulling the mike up to her chest.

The crowd screamed its answer and a quick beat erupted from the darkness of the stage as the drummer, followed by the bassist, and keyboard player were each lit up in succession. Ember slid her hands into place on her guitar and began furiously strumming the first song…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June ran through the alleyways of her neighborhood trying to keep up with her target. She knew she would only have one chance at this and she didn't want to blow it. Unlike her brother, June wasn't convinced that the ghost boy was evil, but she still wasn't sure she could trust him. Ducking back as the white haired teen looked over his shoulder, she prayed he hadn't seen her.

"Alright," he said amused, "You can come out now, I know you're there."

Slowly June stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

"What do you want from me?" Danny Phantom asked flying down to see her face to face.

"I just want to know who's side you're really on," she answered as truthfully as she could.

Danny laughed a little at that, "That guy with you seems to think I'm one of the bad guys, what makes you think I'm not?"

June looked deep into his neon green eyes, "There's just something familiar about you…something I feel like I can trust."

The white haired teen was caught off guard by her response and thought to himself, 'If she only knew…'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The stadium literally rocked with the sounds of the band and the wails of the crowd. Up on the stage Ember could feel her strength growing as the audience called out her name. It wouldn't be long now, she thought as she played out the final chords of the song.

Down in the audience Chris had begun to notice something about Ember. The louder the chanting got, the more people yelling her name, the more her flaming blue hair grew! Was he just imagining it? There wasn't really a way for someone to create an effect like that and make it look real…was there? But if it was real, then didn't that mean…?

"Time for the song you've all been waiting for!" Ember screamed into her mike, looking out over the audience and seeing all but one person completely enraptured by her music. 'Not even he'll be able to fight this next one!' she thought as her number one single began…

"It was, it was September,

Wind blows, the dead leaves fall,

To you, I did surrender,

Two weeks, you didn't call..."

People in the audience began to freeze up, their eyes glowed, they continued calling her name. She smiled wickedly, continuing her mind controlling song.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Who are you…really?" June asked looking at the boy, convinced she had met him before, "And don't use that lame line, "A friend," or I'll deck you."

Danny settled to the ground and looked into her eyes, "I can't tell you who I really am, but I truly want to be your friend."

"Fine," June shrugged, "Start with why you're really in my town and we'll go from there…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Your life goes on without me,

My life, a losing game,

But you should, you should not doubt me,

You will remember my name...

Oh, Ember, you will remember!

Ember, one thing remains!

Oh, Ember, so warm and tender!

You will remember my name!

Your heart, your heart abandoned,

Your wall, now perishing,

Like bad dreams in cold December,

Nothing, but ashes remain..."

Chris looked around at the other people in the audience as their cheering became more like a monotone chanting. To his side Jody stopped smiling, trying to hide the growing fear in her heart. What had happened to everyone? Suddenly Chris grabbed her and ducked down.

"What's happening?" she asked trying not to panic.

Chris peered over the top of the seats, up towards the stage. Ember was no longer playing, but her hair now burnt like wild fire.

"I think we're in trouble," Chris told her reaching for his pendant.

Why hadn't it gone off? Was she somehow invisible to it? And worse, what was she planning on doing? There was too much he didn't know, but to make things even harder, too many people to protect if she started to pick them off.

"Trying to hide little boy? Is that it?" Ember's voice called out through the silence of the stadium. "Its no use, I know you somehow escaped my power. I don't know how, but it really doesn't matter at this point."

Jody watched Chris as he stood and stepped out into the aisle. Somehow the magic in his blood had protected him, but why was she still free of Ember's control? The pendant Chris had given her tapped against her chest. That must have been it, something about magic can hold out against whatever this power was that Ember controlled…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A burst of cold breath escaped from Danny's lips as he spoke with June. She looked up at him inquisitively, unsure as to what had just happened, but eager to offer a helping hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There's a ghost nearby…a powerful one…" Danny explained stepping forward awkwardly.

June followed him as they stepped out into the street across from the stadium. Had they really walked that far? That was when she noticed it…the silence. There was a concert going on, where was the deafening sound of rock? Where was the roar of the crowd?

"Let's go!" Danny yelled grabbing her wrist as he lifted off into the air flying towards the stadium wall.

June blushed slightly at his touch, but snapped out of it, remembering what was going on just inside the stadium…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris dove for the ground as a blast of ectoplasm tore through the air above him. Without thinking, he leapt to his feet and charged the stage slipping between more and more blasts of ectoplasm. As he leapt into the air his hands exploded in flames and he landed in a whirlwind of fire, standing up, trying to look as menacing as possible.

"You're finished, just surrender now and I won't hurt you," Chris said calmly.

Ember laughed maniacally, "Right, that'll be the day dip-stick!"

The ghost girl snapped her fingers and in a flash her band leapt into action. The bassist swung his guitar like an axe, barely missing Chris' head, while the drummer threw his cymbols and drumsticks and the keyboard player stomped forward. The firecaster grinned evilly as the band surrounded him. From the audience, Jody watched with abated breath as her beau fought what could only be described as ghosts.

Each band member was sent soaring as Chris made short work of the henchmen, but now he was angry. His shattered glasses lay at his feet, a trickle of blood gushing from a gash over his left eye, he was pissed.

"Alright princess!" he yelled crushing the bones of the skeleton keyboard player as he stepped forward, "Now its just you…and me…"

"And all of them baby-pop!" Ember announced as Jody screamed.

Chris spun to see the crowd had returned to life once more, but they were now completely under Ember's power, following her every whim. Right now, she wanted them to rip the girl apart…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June felt light headed as they phased through the walls of the stadium and into the main arena. There they found Chris and Jody, held down by the crowds of people under Ember's control.

"More lambs to the slaughter!" she said floating above her minions, hair ablaze and surrounding her.

"I don't think so!" Danny roared flying up at her at top speed, an energy beam forming in either hand.

"Ohhh, the halfa…" Ember teased, "I'm so frightened! Please don't hurt me Mister Halfa?"

Below them June tossed and punched and kicked her way through to her brother and friend, but there were just so many people! One or two people were simple, but fighting a hundred at a time when you couldn't hurt them was something else entirely!

"Get off!" she heard Chris yell, struggling to break free of his captors.

Suddenly Danny was sent crashing to the ground sending the zombies flying in every direction and actually freeing Chris. Now it was the firecaster's turn! Ember knew the teen couldn't fly up to meet her, but she was looking forward to what he could do.

"Round two!" she called to him, "Better make this good, there won't be another round!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Chris yelled summoning as much power as he could.

Freeing Jody, June looked up as the mysterious singer called Ember flew down at her brother leaving a burning trail through the sky.

The fighters met half way with Chris slamming into the girl's chest knocking her off her guitar and crashing to the ground. He stayed on her, doing his best to not give her an opening, but she was able to find one anyway. The blast of pink hard-light knocked the wind out of the firecaster sending him to his knees, but he came back with an uppercut.

Their battle continued with each fighter gaining and losing ground until finally Ember swung her guitar like a club. Chris' eyes went blank from the force of the hit, but what happened next is what decided the outcome of the battle. Laughing as the others rushed forward to get to his side, Ember's eyes burnt with raw power as she brought her blazing locks down on her dazed opponent.

Jody watched in horror as her boyfriend was engulfed by the blue flames. Danny and June roared in anger charging up towards the ghost girl all while Ember continued laughing, but suddenly stopped when her victim stood, his own laughter ringing out over the stadium. The heroes skidded to a stop as a being of fire stepped out of the flaming hair. Slowly his features returned revealing Chris with a huge grin on his face.

"You thought you could stop me with fire? I'm a firecaster, genius, all you did was give me more power!" he explained running at Ember.

She didn't have time to think as he tackled her to the ground holding both wrists as tight as he could. She could feel her strength begin to disappear the longer that he held on. In a final burst of desperation the ghost girl whistled for her guitar. The hot pink instrument responded clipping Chris in the side of the head, knocking him off of her.

"You think you've won?" she yelled revealing her smeared make up, "It'll take more than anything you morons have to stop me!"

Someone cleared his throat behind her, "You might want to rethink that…"

The blue haired ghost girl spun as a green light flashed and she felt something tugging at her body. The tugging soon became an intense pulling and finally she was ripped from her guitar in a swirling vortex down towards the Fenton Thermos. She let out a horrific scream as she disappeared into the cylinder and Danny slammed the cap down over the canister.

"And that's that!" he announced happily.

All around them the people began to return to their senses. Some felt sick, others were just dizzy, but it was clear they were back to normal…at least as normal as things in Orchid Bay got. The young heroes, on the other hand, had their own uneasiness to contend with. Chris looked at Danny unsure of what to say. He had seriously missed something, when did they start working together?

"Uh Chris," June said resting a hand on her brother's shoulder, "There's something we need to talk about…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He couldn't believe it… how could he have been so wrong? Just ahead, June and Danny Phantom walked along laughing and joking. Chris felt like a real dick for the way he had acted the other night, but…no, that was no excuse. Danny had forgiven him and said everything was cool so that should have been it, still why did he feel so terrible?

"You okay Chris?" Jody asked squeezing his hand to snap him out of his thoughts.

He lifted his head and looked at her, "Yeah…yeah, everything's fine, just thinking."

"You know I'm here for you if you need to talk," the blonde teen said comfortingly.

Chris stopped and pulled her close, "Thanks Jody."

They group walked on and then said their goodbyes with June and Chris returning to their respective homes, Jody going to her on home, and Danny soaring off into the night. When he was sure no one was looking Danny transformed back into Danny Fenton and entered the Irwin house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Four A.M. strolled along the way it always did, but this early morning it brought along something no one could have imagined…

June slept soundly in her warm bed with thoughts of both Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton dancing around in her head. She didn't realize how close the two actually were. Her teacher, the Scottish pug Monroe, slept at the foot of her bed, curled up in a ball and generating heat like a little space heater. Her room was dark and silent, the crescent moon outside shining through her windows, creating silhouettes of the tree branches on her carpeted floor.

Suddenly one of the silhouettes moved revealing it wasn't a tree branch at all. It was something much worse…

A red dot appeared on her floor and darted back and forth up to her bed until it rested right between her eyes. The source of the targeting laser was a man dressed all in black hanging from her window sill. He had bulky armor and strange goggles over his eyes, but he held the M-9 firmly in place. He would only have one shot…

To be continued!

Finally I put out the next chapter! I know it took a long time and I'm not going to tell you why, just that Chapter 4 will be out very, very soon. There won't be another three month delay…

So Danny Phantom has been welcomed into the group. Chris feels like a complete idiot, as he should for overreacting the way he did. Jody is learning more about Chris' powers and what they entail. The Colonel is ready to make his move, the Swordsman is watching, but what about Freakshow? And who's the man outside June's window with a gun pointed at her? The opening shot of the war is in the next chapter…


	4. Opening Shot

Crossroads

Chapter 4: Opening Shot…

His breathing was heavy, his arms stiff, his mind a blur. The M-9 in his hands weighed two tons as he aimed at the Asian girl sleeping soundly just behind that window. He was only going to have one shot at this, but he had found himself at an impasse. He'd signed up to fight monsters, not kill little girls in their sleep! An image of his own daughter wafted into his mind as he cringed…he had no choice, this was his mission! Opening his eyes in a flash, he pulled the trigger!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June's eyes opened slowly at the sound. What was that? It sounded like glass shattering and then a thump next to her…

Groggily she rolled back over to see a smoking hole in her pillow. Her eyes went wide as she spun to look at the window. There was a matching hole in it, but as she walked up to inspect it she realized too late what had happened!

Time slowed as three men swung off the roof and towards her window. June dove away as they crashed through sending glass in every direction. There was no time to think as they quickly leveled their weapons at her, firing with little regard for what they hit. All around her glass jars exploded, books were torn to shreds, and pieces of plaster were sent flying.

Monroe awoke with a start as June tackled one of the men to the ground, kneeing him in the groin so hard that the dog swore he heard a popping sound. There were still two more as the Te Xuan Ze skittered across the floor to hide behind her bed. They fired again and again trying to tag her, sending up more and more debris.

Keeping her head down June quickly pulled her jeans on from the previous night and reached under her bed, grabbing one of the shields her grandmother had given her. Moving as fast as she could, the Asian teen leapt to her feet throwing the shield like a Frisbee, colliding with another of the intruders. The shield hit the man in the throat sending him back out the way he'd come.

Now there was just one more and his gun was empty. June's eyes flashed with hatred as she dove at the man, grabbing his skull and slamming it down with all her might. The man squealed in agony as she lifted him by the head once more and threw him out the window.

Looking out the hole, she found they weren't alone! There must have been a small army out there! Behind her she heard more crashes and footsteps followed by yelling.

"Ray-Ray!" she realized barreling through her door and into two more of the invaders.

Her brother was being carried off by four men who turned to face her using him as a shield. There was nothing she could do to get to them, but they made the mistake of backing up to the guest room door.

One of the men looked over his shoulder as the door opened to reveal a very angry Lila. Her teeth were bared and she emitted a ferocious growl as she pulled two men into the darkness of her room. The other two clung to Ray-Ray as screams and the sounds of breaking bones escaped from the room.

Not about to let his sister and Lila have all the fun, Ray-Ray stomped on one of the men's feet and punched another in the groin freeing himself just as June swung an end table. Both men fell to the ground spitting out teeth as Lila stepped into the hall.

The girls nodded and then ran for the stairs. There they caught a glimpse of Michael and Barbara Lee being dragged out of the house by more of the mysterious men.

"MOM! DAD!" June yelled leaping down the stairs.

She didn't get to them as more of the men tackled her to the ground. Seeing the dog pile, Lila leapt into the fray.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Outside, the street was filled what appeared to be SWAT vans and government cars. More and more men in black battle suits ran up and down the block cordoning off the Lee residence and the Fields house next door. A black limo pulled up and out stepped the Colonel in his usual attire. His golden battle armor glistened in the light of the moon as he stepped up to Lieutenant Samuels.

"Give me a sit rep, Lieutenant," the Colonel ordered.

"Teams Alpha and Beta are attempting to contain the Te Xuan Ze, but she's got back up in there sir, the Bigfoot apparently returned," the blonde man explained, "Team Delta is dealing with the firecaster and the remaining teams are about to begin their operation to capture the halfa."

"Samuels, you make damn sure the Te Xuan Ze does not get loose! Am I making myself perfectly clear?" the Colonel asked.

Gulping hard, the Lieutenant nodded his response.

Behind them an old woman walked up, her hair in a net with curlers, thick rimmed glasses, and more, "What are you hooligans doing at this time of night? Don't you know people are trying to sleep here?"

The Colonel spun to face her, "Ma'am go back inside, this is a dangerous situation and I can't guarantee your safety."

"I will not! The Lee's have never hurt anybody, you better leave them alone!" the crotchety old woman yelled raising her cane.

Suddenly the front wall of the Lee house exploded as a pile of men were thrown out. As the smoke cleared, two silhouettes leapt out and into the night, slamming down on the hoods of the nearest cars.

"Who else wants some?!" June screamed stomping down and leaving a huge dent.

"GET OUTTA MY HOUSE!" came a thundering voice from behind.

Next door, a gigantic explosion sent a wave of men flying back. June and Lila looked over to see Chris step out into the night wearing nothing but his khaki pants. His hands burnt intensely as he ran at the men he had just booted from his home.

He joined the girls along with Ray-Ray to get a good look at what they were up against. It was four children against the best H.A.M. had to offer. The prize was Mr. and Mrs. Lee and Ashley. They all nodded to each other and then charged forward with everything they had.

Lila leapt into the air landing in a circle of agents and started pummeling them. She kicked, punched, bit, and roared as she tore through them. Behind her June drove her fist into the engine of one of the government cars and lifted the automobile above her head bringing it down on another group of men as they ran at her. Spinning, she flung the car at the SWAT vans knocking two of them over. Chris let loose with as much power as he had, setting cars ablaze and melting the battle armor of anyone foolish enough to get too close. He was done playing, they had attacked them in their homes! Ducking down as the cars went flying overhead or exploded Ray-Ray saw his chance to free the prisoners and took it. He leapt over fallen agents, ducked under flying debris, and rolled over the hood of a car sliding off and right next to Ashley. He freed her first and then went to release his parents.

"Hold it right there!" a man yelled leveling a gun at the twelve year old.

"EZEERF!" Ashley yelled freezing the man in his tracks.

Ray-Ray went back to untying his parents and then the four of them watched as the three teens continued tearing through the ranks of the H.A.M. agents. Michael and Barbara had never seen anything like it! How was their daughter able to lift cars above her head like it was nothing?! And Chris! He was like a human torch!

"Mom, Dad, there's a lot of explaining we have to do, but now is not the time!" Ray-Ray yelled snapping them out of their daze, "Let's go!"

With that Ashley and Ray-Ray lead the Lees to safety just as a car came crashing down on the agent that had been guarding them.

Lila spun and wound up back to back with Chris as he slammed another agent face first into the ground.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" she asked laughing.

He grunted, blocking an attack, "Oh yeah, we should really do this more often!"

Lila watched as the spiky haired teen broke the H.A.M. agent's arms and then kicked him to the ground.

"How many of these guys are there?" Lila asked slamming another two agents together, knocking both cold.

"I don't know!" June yelled as she was thrown into her friends.

The three steadied themselves and realized they had been backed up against the wall of cars. They were cornered as more and more agents forced them back. They were like roaches, they just kept coming!

"Well, if this is it, I gotta say I had a ball with you girls!" Chris announced.

"Same here," Lila agreed.

"We can't go out without saying goodbye!" June yelled as the three teens prepared to charge forward in desperation.

The H.A.M. agents loomed over the teens preparing to strike when something flew over head and then whipped around sending the men flying through the air.

"HAKU!" Chris called excitedly.

"You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun did you?" the dragon asked slashing at the men with his claws and whipping them away with his tail.

June and Lila leapt into the fray while Chris spotted the man that had caused all of this.

"Colonel!" Chris yelled as he leapt at the man, striking with all his might.

The bald man's face popped with the punch and his fake eye actually popped out of its socket as he fell. The old soldier had forgotten what it was like to get hit, but this was a reminder of why he never let it happen!

"Fields, it's a true honor," the Colonel teased.

"Stow it!" Chris demanded dashing forward punching with all his might.

Each punch left a blazing trail as the Colonel ducked and dodged each strike. Behind them, the last of the H.A.M. strike force was falling. Lila spotted the Lieutenant trying to make a run for it and tackled him to the ground, lifting his face up by the hair and slamming a fist right into it. The man fell unconscious as the sasquatch turned to see Chris battling the old soldier known only as the Colonel.

"You creatures make me sick!" the man yelled striking Chris in the gut. His fists were electrified as he continued to pummel the teen, "You think you're superior to us, that we're nothing more than peasants!"

Another punch sent Chris to the ground coughing up blood. His vision was hazy and his body ached, but he still forced himself to stand.

"You're all talk old man!" he yelled charging forward once more.

The Colonel smirked bringing his hands down on the back of Chris' head. The firecaster fell to his knees stunned, but the Colonel wasn't done yet. Lifting the teen by his neck, the old soldier threw him like a stone skipping across the water until he crashed into one of the many totaled cars.

June and Lila both screamed in horror, rushing the old man. Lila punched high, while June kicked low. The Colonel contorted to each punch and kick, overwhelmed by the strength of the girls until finally Lila threw an uppercut that knocked him on his back. The Colonel tried to rise but the armor was severely damaged. It sparked and squeaked every time he tried to move his arms and legs.

"You're finished!" June ordered, grabbing the man by his throat, "You'll never terrorize innocent creatures or attack me and my family again!"

With that she wrapped him up using a fallen street light and punched him one last time across the jaw, knocking him into a daze.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila was at Chris' side trying to help him up, "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

He was wobbling and barley audible as he rose to his feet, "……………"

"Chris? Chris, I…I can't understand you," Lila explained.

He steadied himself and took a deep breath, "We don't…have time…for this…"

June walked up, "What are you talking about, we stopped them, saved my parents and Ashley, what more can…they…"

"Oh my God," Lila added bowing her head.

"Haku!" Chris yelled stumbling away.

The dragon flew to his side, "Hang on, you're in no condition to be fighting anyone else!"

"Get me to Jody's now!" the teen demanded falling onto the dragon's back.

Haku sighed and motioned for the girls to get on as well.

As the team lifted into the air June called down to Ashley and Ray-Ray, "Take care of Mom and Dad, we'll be back as soon as we can!"

The two adolescents nodded as they watched the dragon soar off into the night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As they flew through the cool night air, Lila held Chris up while June did a quick patch job using a first-aid kit she'd pulled from one of the SWAT vans. He wasn't really as badly hurt as he looked, but his ribs were damaged…again, and he was covered in cuts and scrapes…they all were for that matter and here they were heading into another battle!

As they flew along, a strange sound filled the air around them. Thump-Thump-Thump it continually sounded until finally the source came into view. Three attack helicopters, all wearing the symbol for H.A.M.! Haku tried to lose them, diving in and out of cloud banks, doing all sorts of aerial maneuvers, but nothing worked, they stayed with him through it all!

Chris looked over at one of the choppers and saw the guns starting to target his dragon! His gritted his teeth and summoned up everything he had into one blast that tore through the side of the first chopper causing it to explode. The pilots barely escaped as the machine was engulfed in flame and crashed to the ground, but Chris was empty. He had just used the last of his power and now he was wiped!

Lila clung to Chris, trying to keep him from falling off while Haku continued trying to lose the remaining choppers. June looked back in horror as one of them acquired a missile lock and fired!

"Haku lookout!" she screamed warning the dragon of the rocket flying towards them at blinding speed.

"Hang on tight!" he ordered as he bent his body down towards the ground and dove with everything he had.

The missile changed course and followed after them. Lila was doing her best to not lose her grip on the spiky haired teen, but she was having a hard time hanging on to the dragon. Behind her, June clung to Haku's tail, hanging on for dear life as the dragon whipped his body this way and that attempting to evade the missile, but each time they changed course the missile did the same to stay on them.

Suddenly there was nowhere to go as the ground came up and Haku quickly contorted his body to keep from slamming head first into the earth. This time though, the missile didn't correct its path soon enough and it collided with the ground sending out a shockwave from the immense blast.

The white dragon barely escaped the blast, but had forgotten about their friends in the helicopters. Haku could only brace himself as one of the choppers collided with him. The three teens were thrown from their ride while the chopper exploded, lighting up the night sky again.

Moving as quickly as he could, Haku whipped around grabbing June who grabbed Lila, but Chris had been sent in a different direction from the collision. He rocketed toward the ground, still barely able to move, and completely spent.

"CHRIS!!!!" Lila yelled at the top of her lungs as she watched her friend plummet.

There was nothing they could do! Haku soared down after him, but he was cut off when the last chopper tried to catch him in its main rotor. June watched her brother disappear into the darkness of the night, terrified she'd never see him again!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris opened his eyes slowly, unsure of where he was, except that it was cold! Quickly looking around he found he was falling! Where was Haku? And the girls, where were they? If anything had happened to them he'd…!

"Oh crap!" he realized, "I'm dead! I'm gonna be street pizza!"

He spread his body out trying to slow his descent, but the wind whipped by, cutting at him forcing him to ball up again. If he didn't think of something fast he was a goner, but there wasn't much time! He could use his firecasting to slow his descent! No…he didn't have enough energy left to do that…did he? Ah-Mah said the fire came from within so that meant he would have a never ending supply…right?

"Only one chance, better not screw it up," he told himself as he straightened his body out like a high board diver would.

He balled his fists at his sides and tried to concentrate on the fire within his heart, on burning, on flying! He'd done it before…once, but it had taken Rage and the threat she posed to do so!

"Come on, concentrate you idiot!" he berated himself focusing on his power.

Suddenly his skin got warmer. The veins in his arms and chest flashed orange and he could feel heat pouring out of his body… but the ground was coming up very fast!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The tears stung as they ran down June's face. Why was this kind of thing always happening? Chris…he had to still be alive…by some miracle, he just had to be!

Haku flipped right trying to evade the final chopper when he finally stopped and twirled to face it. The girls clung to his serpentine body awkwardly as a blinding light appeared in his fanged mouth and rocketed out. The beam of flame tore through the chopper like a hot knife through butter, but as the two men ejected a second beam of fire shot through the night sky. This one was from a different source, one hidden by the clouds and obscured until a being of flame exploded up grabbing the parachute strings holding the pilots…

The being had a familiar form, spiky hair, billowing baggy pants… "Hey ladies."

"Chris?" they both asked in unison, "How the…"

Haku smiled as he flew a circle around the firecaster, "You've finally discovered how to fly…it took you long enough."

"Yeah well its not everyday you're careening towards the ground, ya know?" he joked looking down at the H.A.M. pilots, "Now what do we do with you?"

The men looked up, making a whimpering sound…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny Fenton hid behind a splintering wall as the agents fired on him. Who were these guys? He'd never seen them before, but they sure seemed to know him! Looking back towards the remains of the garage, he spotted his parents taking the men on hand-to-hand. Back towards the main house, Jazz covered Jody and her parents in the Fenton Peeler. The rounds just bounced off the armor-like ghost weapon as she ushered the Irwin's back inside.

He didn't know what was going on, but he knew it must have had something to do with him. There was no other choice, he had to go ghost!

"No choice," he decided running out from behind his cover, "I'M GOING GHOST!" he yelled leaping into the air.

His parents looked over in horror as a white ring appeared around their son, part moving up, the rest moving down. His clothes transformed revealing a black jumpsuit with white gloves, boots, and a belt. Danny's hair shifted snow white and his eyes flashed iridescent green. In either hand a green ball of sparkling energy formed and as he twisted in the air he fired twin beams tearing through the ranks of the men.

"Da…Danny?" Maddie Fenton asked as the ghost boy she knew as Danny Phantom landed in front of her, "Wha…what happened?"

She was so flabbergasted by her son's change that she hadn't seen the agent run up behind her. Danny spun just in time to tackle his mother out of harm's way and fired another blast of energy sending the man crashing to the ground.

"Young man, you have got some serious explaining to do!" Jack yelled lifting his son by the collar.

Danny couldn't believe it! His parents wanted to talk about this now?!

"NO!" Jazz screamed as a blast filled the remnants of the Irwin house.

The remaining Fenton's looked back as the house exploded. The shockwave knocked the three of them to the ground and shook the block all around them. Without a second thought Danny leapt to his feet and charged towards the burning building, but was roughly pulled down by his father.

"Let me go! I have to save them!" the white haired teen demanded.

"Their fine! Look!" Jack yelled, his ears ringing from the blast.

In the middle of the inferno a red sphere swirled around five shadows. One of the shadows stood to his full height and gestured his hands. In response to this stranger, the inferno parted creating two separate walls of flame and a clear path between them. Out stepped Jody, her parents, Jazz, and a spiky haired teen dressed only in a pair of khaki pants.

"Chris!" Danny yelled excitedly.

"Thought you might need a hand!" Chris replied.

Around them, the H.A.M. agents that had planned on using the explosion as a distraction, were assaulted by a savage brunette haired girl, a raven haired girl, and a white scaled dragon with a flowing green mane. The older Fenton's watched as their own children leapt into the battle and the Irwin's looked on in amazement as Jody's beau transformed into his fiery state and joined his fellow combatants.

The adults had never seen anything like it! And all of this power was in the hands of five children!

"Jody…did you know about this?" Robert Irwin asked.

"Dad…" Jody moaned turning back to watch her boyfriend reveal more power than ever before.

Danny appeared alongside Chris as a heavily armored tank approached. They looked each other in the eye and then back at the tank. In unison, the pair released a full powered blast. The ghostly energy mixed with the fireball, shining a blinding white, tearing through the armor and sending the agents within screaming. The boys looked back at each other and smiled.

"Nice shot, Casper," Chris mused as his body flared with power.

"You're not so bad yourself, Matchstick!" Danny retorted taking to the air.

Behind the boys, the three girls formed a skirmish line, pummeling their way through the H.A.M. agents bearing down on them. June would leap forward throwing the first two men she caught over her shoulders to Jazz and Lila, then clothesline the next agent and use him as a club to batter down the next men in line. The girls kept moving forward leaving nothing but a pile of defeated agents in their wake and a smile on the faces of their friends.

"See Daddy, Chris and the others know what they're doing," Jody explained watching her boyfriend send three more agents flying through the air, "He's a hero."

Martha and Robert Irwin looked at their daughter and then back at the fiery teen nonchalantly ripping his way through the small army gathered around their once beautiful home. She was right, the boy was a hero, but he was also someone they didn't find very trustworthy. Jody had gone missing for several weeks because of him and they were just supposed to let that slide? For now they had no choice, but when this was over they were going to sit the boy down and have a very long conversation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As Jazz threw the final agent to the ground and stomped on his back, she looked around to see who was left, but to both her joy and disappointment, there were no agents remaining. For her first full scale battle, she did a bang up job with a total of twenty five K.O.s. Her brother landed behind her, still in his Danny Phantom form.

"Not bad, sis, you're better at this than I thought!" he told her.

"Yeah, we almost didn't need your girlfriend's help," Jazz responded happily, ignoring Danny's insult/compliment.

"Whoa, whoa," Danny quickly said, "June doesn't know I'm Danny Fenton yet!"

"What?" Jazz asked amazed, "She still thinks the two of you are different people? You need to tell her, right now or there's gonna be trouble, Little Brother."

Danny looked over at June as she hugged Jody. She may have started trusting him, but what would happen when she found out he was Danny Fenton? The sooner she found out the better, but right now she needed to see that her boyfriend was okay. He quickly reverted back to his human form and ran up behind his raven haired girlfriend.

"June!" Danny yelled trying to sound more worried than he really was.

June spun with tears in her eyes, "Danny! Thank God you're alright!" she said pulling him into a tight hug.

The boy could feel his ribs pop as June squeezed him. He would tell her the truth…very soon, if she didn't figure it out for herself…or his parents didn't blurt it out! There they were coming right for him and they did not look pleased!

"Better run, stud," Chris slinked up behind him, trying to dodge Jody's parents as he stepped away from the rubble of their home.

"Mr. Fields!" Robert Irwin yelled at the top of his lungs, "I think it is high time we had a chat!"

Chris gulped and laughed a little as the Irwins closed in on him. They started demanding answers, while Danny quickly ran to intercept his parents before they could spill the beans on his secret identity in front of June.

"Mom, Dad, please don't start, not here!" Danny pleaded trying to stop his father from opening his mouth.

Maddie quickly started in, "Daniel Fenton, we'll say whatever we want to you whenever we feel it is necessary wherever we may be!"

Panicking, Danny yelled out, "But not in front of June!"

The raven haired, Asian teen looked at her boyfriend quizzically at that comment. So he really was hiding something from her…

On the other side, Chris cowered behind Jody as her parents barraged him with question after question, "How long have you had these powers? Do your parents know? What gives you the right to do what you do? Why did you let Jody get kidnapped? How do you plan to make this up to us? Where are we supposed to live?"

Finally, yelling in frustration, Chris exploded with energy and leapt into the sky and hovered above the fuming parents while he tried to get a word in.

The blast of light caught the attention of Jack and Maddie Fenton, along with most of the neighborhood, who had wandered out of their homes to find out what all the noise was. To their surprise, a sixteen year old boy now flew fifteen feet in the air while his skin burnt bright orange.

The people had never seen anything like it, but their reaction grew even more when they caught sight of the white scaled dragon that came looming down with several H.A.M. pilots and their parachutes dangling from his mouth. Chris and June couldn't understand how they could possibly see the dragon!

Their cover was officially blown. It wouldn't be long now before the media arrived and they became the story of the week. Once their pictures appeared all over the world that would be it. The magical barrier would shatter, no that it hadn't already started to crumble, the people could actually see Haku! It would take one hell of a memory spell to wipe this from the minds of the people…

The fiery teen settled to the ground next to Jody, who immediately took his hand as the people cautiously approached the families. June felt sick as she backed away towards her brother and best friend. What was going to happen now? Her head hurt and her stomach churned at the thought of what just happened and what was right around the corner…they had failed to maintain the balance and now the world of man knew about the world of magic!

As the news crews pushed their way through the crowd Jody turned to her parents, still clinging Chris' hand in her own, "Do you see why we tried to keep it a secret now?"

Completely surrounded on all sides by spectators and news crews, June, Lila, and Chris tried to make their way to Haku, only to find him wriggling away from people trying to climb aboard his back and hold him down. Panicking, the dragon snapped several times and whipped his body around sending any potential riders sailing to the ground and then leapt into the air. Chris watched as his friend and mentor continually tried to get low enough for the three teens to jump aboard, but his attempts were thwarted by the newly aware people.

Lila bared her teeth and growled as the reporters kept flashing pictures and assaulting her with questions. The constant flicker of lights was hurting her eyes and making her dizzy as she staggered to stay on her feet. She couldn't breath! Behind her June tried to give her a steady arm, but she too was being bombarded by the reporters. Suddenly there was screaming coming from within the crowd as a large man forced his way through. With a grunt he leapt into the air revealing his strange dress and landed with a boom sending the reporters to the ground.

His grey skin shined in the pale light and reflected the shimmers of the flash bulbs as reporters took shots of him. Film crews continued rolling as he stepped up to the Te Xuan Ze and slapped her aside reaching for the firecaster that was her brother.

"Christopher Jonathon Fields, the Council of Elders demands your apprehension!" the grey skinned man declared as his silver hair flowed through the night sky and his cloak revealed his armor and scimitar.

Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, the pair disappeared in a blue flash. June punched the ground in anger as the reporters continued their assault of questions, completely uncaring to the fact that her brother had just been abducted by someone, something that she had never even seen before!

On the outskirts of the crowd, Danny stood with his family, his head bowed in frustration. Now what was he supposed to do? June needed him, Chris had just been kidnapped, and the world now knew about the magical realm!

But that was just the beginning…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In another part of the world, beneath the streets of Paris, a pale, skinny man dressed in black and red trolled through the sewer. On his right arm, a silver gauntlet hung, adorned with two of the four gems required to power the Reality Gauntlet.

"Guess who's back, baby!" Freakshow yelled as his cackle echoed through the sewers, rattling the manhole covers above him.

To be continued…

Long story short, school, tests, more school, Spring Break sleeping, back to school, more tests, more school, clear for now writing time, then more tests, and finally Europe for three weeks.

More soon, be on the look out.


	5. The Judgement

Crossroads

Chapter 5: The Judgment

June forced her way past the news crews, going so far as to shove a pushy cameraman out of the way. As he fell his camera broke into several pieces and he started yelling. Behind her Lila ran to catch up leaping over the fallen cameraman. What were they supposed to do now? Suddenly the girls were lifted off their feet and pulled into the air by a familiar white haired ghost boy.

"I thought you could use a lift," he said trying to lighten the mood.

"Danny, get back here!" Jack Fenton yelled from the ground as his son flew off with the girls.

June looked back at the elder Fenton and then up at the boy carrying her. Danny's Dad must have been mistaken, right? He probably only wanted to capture Danny…and then she realized, she had just flown off without so much as an explanation to anyone. Her parents must be worried sick! Worse, the Irwins were now homeless and the Fentons, not to mention, the rest of the world knew about her, Chris, and Lila.

Behind them, Haku came screeching by, just barely grabbing them as news choppers pursued them. Everything was happening too fast!

"Haku, what do we do now?" Lila asked the question on everyone's mind.

The white scaled dragon poured on the speed as the news choppers fell behind, "First we get to Ah-Mah, then we go after Chris."

The teens looked at each other. Chris…that man in the black armor had said he was under arrest, but why? He hadn't done anything wrong, at least nothing they knew about…

"We'll talk about it later," Haku yelled over the wind as he approached Ah-Mah's home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Lemme GO!" Chris yelled trying to pry himself free of the Captain's stone grip.

"You're going nowhere, boy," the Captain explained dragging the firecaster towards the council chambers, "You are to answer for your crimes against the magical world."

"Crimes?" Chris asked exasperated.

He hadn't done anything wrong! If it hadn't been for him and June, Kale would have destroyed both worlds! And what about all the good he'd done even before that? He didn't like where this was going…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Within the Grand Hall Chris, stood in the middle of a white light, his hands and feet shackled in an unknown metal, covered in runes and symbols. He recognized a few of them, but they were ancient, used only for the most powerful of opponents. Why then, did the council see fit to use them on him? Was he really that strong?

"Don't try to escape, you'll only hurt yourself," the Captain said approaching him from the darkness all around. "You are here to stand trial for your actions. The council will be the final judge of whether or not you can be trusted to use your powers responsibly."

"Hey pal, I saved your council's butt not too long ago, I think that proves I'm responsible with my power!" Chris yelled trying to move forward, but impeded by the shackles.

The Captain smiled as he looked the young firecaster in the eye, "If it were up to me, your head would be mounted on my wall right this instant, but that's not the council's way, no they like to make believe that they're fair and give people a chance to defend themselves, so here's your chance to prove yourself. But know this, the instant they declare you guilty, you're mine!"

Chris just stared angrily at the grey skinned Captain. The bespectacled teen was going to ensure the Captain got what was coming to him.

"That will be all Captain," a new voice rang out in the darkness.

The man bowed and then stepped into the darkness to watch the proceedings from the sidelines. Slowly five lights came on, one after another revealing five cloaked men sitting at one large desk in a semicircle. Their eyes peered out from underneath their hoods, studying Chris' every feature.

"Christopher Jonathon Fields, do you know why you were brought here?" the councilman in the middle asked.

Chris looked around at all of them, unable to even see what they looked like under the hoods, "You're gopher tells me I'm here to answer for some crime."

Several of the men laughed, all except for the man on the left end. He was somber and even seemed to be uneasy.

"You are here because we have deemed you to be too high a risk, the man in the middle explained. He was dressed like the others, except for a splash of red on his hood. He must have been the head of the council. "This trial will determine if you should have the right to walk free or if you will be imprisoned forever."

Chris leapt forward only to be held in place by the shackles, "Imprisoned?" he exclaimed, "You spineless cowards think that you can decide what to do with my life? Ever since I was little I've dedicated my life to protecting the balance between the worlds of men and magic and suddenly I'm a risk? Why? What could I have possibly done to become such a threat?"

"You were born," one of the men said sternly.

That caught Chris off guard.

"At first we believed you to only have sight, that your father's abilities had not been passed on, but that was not the case," another member explained, "You have more power than even your father, but you have no one to turn to for help when you need it. There is no one to teach you control, no one that can help you when the power overwhelms you. You are all alone."

The teen looked down at his hands, hurt by the councilman's harsh words, "But that's not my fault…I can't help the way I was born."

The leader stood up, "That has no bearing on this trial, we are only here to determine what level of threat you are and whether or not you deserve the freedom you enjoy."

The councilman on the left shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted to defend Chris, but he knew that would only put him and his family at risk. Until he could come up with a plan, Chris was on his own…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I can't believe the council would take such a course," Jasmine Lee said as she settled in her chair. "To send the Captain of the Guard after Chris…"

June watched her grandmother sip her tea as she thought out loud.

"The Council of Elders should have known better than to openly attack a member of our family, but there isn't much we can do," the elder Lee explained to the teens. "They're far too powerful for any one of us to stand against. It is the duty of the Te Xuan Ze to defend the magical world as well as the council, but…"

"But nothing!" June yelled slamming her fist down, "They can't just take Chris like that! He has rights and…"

"Not in the eyes of the council, Juniper," Ah-Mah explained, "He does pose a very real threat to both worlds."

"So you agree with them?" Lila asked in shock.

Jasmine bowed her head, "No, of course not, I love my grandson very much, but the council does have a point…he is far too powerful and he doesn't have control, at least not yet."

"Control or not, we gotta do something to help him," Danny chimed in.

Jasmine looked at him coolly, "And just who are you?"

Danny backed away a little, he still hadn't told June that he was Danny Fenton as well as Danny Phantom, "I'm a friend of June and Chris' and I'm here to help."

"Well what can you do?" the elder Lee asked.

"Ah-Mah, he's a ghost, so he can do everything a ghost can do," June explained quickly, "Right now we need all the help we can get because this won't be easy."

Ah-Mah smiled, "You're right Juniper. Alright, here's the plan…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You're battle with the entity known as Rage was full proof of your inability to control your powers," one of the councilman said.

"You want to see control? Come down here and take these freaking shackles off, then we'll see who has control!" Chris said angrily. His patience was wearing thin and it truly showed. "You guys are angry at me because I have more power than you and since you can't control me, you'll do the next best thing, eliminate me, do I have that right?"

The leader stood up and pointed at him, "You will watch your tongue boy!"

"Or what? You can't hold me in contempt, this isn't a trial, it's a mockery of justice and all you have to decide is whether or not you're gonna kill me!" the firecaster continued prodding the council, "So why don't we drop the formalities and get down to it?"

The Captain of the Guard stepped into the light pointing his sword in Chris' face, "That's a good question."

"Captain, stand down!" the councilman on the left yelled, "He has a chance to prove himself! Its no lie that young Fields is brash, irresponsible, and very temperamental, but he has dedicated himself to the defense of the magical world and therefore deserves the chance to show everyone that he has the control needed to use his father's gift properly."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Robert Irwin paced back and forth in the Lees' Kitchen. He was red in the face and mumbling to himself in anger. Jack and Maddie Fenton listened intently as Jazz explained about Danny. Jody listened very carefully, completely unaware that Danny Fenton was really Danny Phantom, someone with a lot in common with her beau Chris Fields. She knew the instant Jazz was done explaining it would be her turn. Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Michael and Barbara Lee sat dumbfounded as Ray-Ray told them of the magical world and their daughter's place within it.

Outside, the house was surrounded by reporters and camera crews, desperately trying to get photos of the families whose children had turned Orchid Bay into a war zone. Two simultaneous attacks on the Te Xuan Ze and the Halfa had left one family without a home and revealed to the others, not to mention to the rest of the world that magic, monsters, and everything that goes with them are very real.

"And so that's why we didn't tell you," Jazz finished, "We were afraid you'd try to dissect him or something."

Maddie stood up, "How could you possibly think that, we love Danny. We'd never do anything to hurt him."

"Maybe it's because every time you saw him, you shot first and asked questions never, or the fact that you continually threatened to, and I quote, "Rip him apart molecule by molecule." " Jazz answered.

The Fentons looked at each other and suddenly felt extremely guilty. She was right, they had never once asked Danny Phantom a single question, they always just shot at him. What if they had actually hurt him? Its no wonder that he never told them about his powers.

As the Fentons came to terms, Robert walked in and sat down next to his daughter, "Do you love him?" he asked, sounding almost afraid of the answer.

Jody looked up into her father's eyes and smiled slightly, "Very much, he's my hero."

Robert bowed his head, "But why him? Why not somebody normal like your sister's boyfriend?" Why does it have to be a…a…"

"A firecaster?" Martha Irwin finished.

"Yeah," he added, "Why a firecaster?"

Jody reached down the neck of her t-shirt and produced a golden charm hanging from a necklace, "Do you see this?" she asked, "This is the ultimate sign of trust."

"A necklace? You're going out with a freak because he gave you a necklace?" Robert started raising his voice.

"He is NOT a freak!" Jody yelled, catching her parents off guard, "Do you know the only reason I'm still here is because of him? He saved my life and brought me back home! And he didn't do it for thanks or for recognition, he did it because he's my friend and he loves me!"

The Irwins just looked at their daughter.

"I've never been so sure about anything as I am about how much he loves me and how much I love him! You're bigotry is not going to stand in our way!" she continued yelling attracting everyone's attention.

Michael Lee had been listening very carefully, "What problem do you have with my son? He loves your daughter and would lay down his life to protect her. The instant the attack began he was worried about you and your daughter's safety before his own!"

Robert looked at his wife, then back at Michael and Jody. He couldn't find the words to say how he felt. They were right…he was being absolutely unreasonable.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"And that gives you the right to use your powers as you see fit?" the leader asked.

"The fact that I used them for the sake of justice and to defend life is what gives me the right," Chris answered angrily, "And haven't my sister and I been cleaning up your messes for years now?"

"So you want us to show gratitude?" another member asked. "Your position as a defender of the realm is not some job but an honored duty, a privilege!"

"Oh yeah it's a real privilege all right, June and I have to give up everything to defend you while you sit back and do nothing, and then when we retire, our kids will be forced into the same life! That's some privilege we have!" Chris retorted angrily.

"Enough!" the member on the left yelled, "All this bickering serves no purpose! We are here for a reason!"

The leader stood, "You're right. I have heard enough! It is time for us to confer. Take him away Captain!"

The grey skinned man grabbed Chris by the chains and pulled with all his might, sending the firecaster to the ground as the Captain dragged him out of the grand hall. The councilman on the left could only cringe at the thought of what fate awaited the teen. He'd done his best to defend the child, but his brash attitude and impatience with the entire situation only hurt his chances. If the case truly was lost, the councilman would have to come up with another plan to save the firecaster, but he prayed it wouldn't come to that!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Haku had brought them into the magical world, but he was extremely uncomfortable with the situation at hand. They were attempting an assault against not only Union City, but the Grand Hall! Union City was the capital of the magical world and not only the home of the Council of Elders, but the main base for their army. It was like whacking a bee's nest with a stick from the inside! This was suicidal, but it needed to be done.

Just before the team broke through into the magical world, a warning had gone out. There was something major going down in the human world. An unbelievable amount of energy had rocked the Orchid Bay area, leaving part of the city without power. Ah-Mah had elected to stay behind, thinking that it was nothing more than the council trying to deter their mission. She would soon find out how wrong she was. The strange appearances of orcs, goblins, and frost giants working together should have been the first clue. Ember's attack should have opened their eyes even more. There was something coming that was so powerful it was forcing these races to choose sides and find a place to hide and wait out the storm…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June and Lila stalked the rooftops leading up to the Grand Hall, in search of any guards that might be waiting to ambush them. Meanwhile, Danny soared through the streets, watching the girls from below. As he flew towards the Grand Hall, he clenched something tightly in his hand, a single white dragon scale. Once he found Chris, the firecaster could use it to summon his dragon and together the four of them would escape Union City and disappear into the Blazing Sands. If they were lucky they would be able to get in and out without having to face the royal guards. The Captain of the Guard was of a dark race born millennia ago. He had been bred for the sole purpose of fighting and obliterating his enemies. If they could somehow make it past him they might just escape in one piece, but that didn't seem likely…

Within the Grand Hall, Chris was still shaken from the judgment and his sentence. The council had found him guilty of the inappropriate use of his powers and for the deaths of two people, the Spirit of Lust's hostage and Kale. It was ruled that as long as he existed free of any control he would continue to kill as his powers continued to grow. There was no choice but to prevent that from happening by any means necessary. That meant execution, but not by lethal injection, no, in the magical world executions were handled in a very different manner.

"Ready?" the Captain asked eyeing Chris up and down.

The opponents stood face to face in a coliseum like pit, clutching swords and shields as the council watched. The shackles still hung from Chris' wrists and legs preventing him from using his abilities and further more impeding his ability to move. It was fairly obvious of what the outcome would be.

"Christopher Jonathon Fields, you stand accused of the high crime of treason and murder, you're punishment is death!" the leader declared out over the pit, "Defend yourself if you can!"

With that the Captain leapt forward, roaring as he swung his devilish scimitar down. Chris barely got his shield up as the scimitar broke through it sending shards of metal flying in every direction. Throwing down what was left of his shield, Chris gripped his sword with both hands and gritted his teeth. The Captain was a lot stronger than he appeared, but then so too was Chris. Summoning as much power as he could, the firecaster leapt forward and swung with all his might only to have his blade caught by two grey fingers.

"This is the end for you!" the Captain yelled slashing forward.

Chris released his blade and leapt back, feeling the gust of wind thrown off by the slicing blade. As he leapt back up to his feet, his chest suddenly felt wet. Looking down he saw a red stain quickly appearing on his torn shirt. The Captain smirked as he stood to his full height.

"I don't miss, boy!" he announced smugly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny phased through the front door of the Grand Hall as the girls landed on the roof. The plan called for a simultaneous strike from above and below, but the trouble was that there wasn't a guard in sight. Where was everyone? This was supposed to be the most heavily guarded area in the realm.

That was when Danny heard footsteps. Phasing down into the floor he overheard two guards in armor run by, talking about a battle down in the coliseum. That must be where Chris was!

"June!" Danny called over the commpiece hanging from his ear, "I found out where he is!"

June quickly replied, "That's great news! Where do we find him?"

"Keep following the stairs down until you can't go down anymore, there should be a coliseum underneath the building. Chris is fighting down there now," Danny explained as he continued to descend through the floors.

Suddenly he came to the coliseum just as Chris was sent flying through the air and a cheer rang out through the crowd. Flying over the top of the arena, Danny caught sight of the Captain of the Guard approaching with his sword at the ready. There was no time to wait for the girls, Chris needed help now!

Danny became solid again and fired several blasts of ectoplasmic energy. The blasts tore through the ground sending up dirt and debris. When the cloud settled, there stood a new opponent in the arena and he did not look happy!

"Danny!" Chris yelled happily, staggering back to his feet, "Boy am I glad to see you."

"Likewise! Why haven't you just turned this guy into a pile ashes yet?" Danny asked phasing through the Captain's sword as the blade tore through his stomach.

Chris ran forward swinging, but as his fist collided with the Captain's jaw, he heard a loud pop and his hand suddenly went numb. He fell away just as the Captain tried to return the punch, "I kinda can't use my powers!"

"What?" Danny asked trying to keep their opponent's attention on him.

The firecaster dove away just barely missing the scimitar, "These bracelets of mine…" he ducked again, "fancy though they may be…" rolling along the floor as the Captain stomped after him, "are dousing my powers!"

Danny leapt on the Captain's back and watched Chris as he tried to use his powers again only to see nothing but a small puff of smoke. Doing his best to cover the Captain's eyes with one hand while trying to take aim with the other, Danny fired a single blast that hit Chris square in the chest sending him skidding across the ground and rolling to a stop.

"Oops," Danny said as the grey skinned man reached up and threw him at Chris knocking the teen back to the ground.

Chris shoved Danny off, "Yeah oops, thanks a lot Casper!" he said angrily.

"Hey what do you want, I'm doing the best I can Matchstick!" Danny yelled back.

They turned just in time to see the Captain swing. Both ducked at the same time and lunged forward, latching onto the man's arms. He swung and twirled trying to get free, but to no avail. Finally the Captain slammed the two together, dropping them both to the ground.

"The two of you are becoming a pain!" the man yelled, red in the face and genuinely upset.

"Aw, whatsamatter?" Danny asked.

Chris added to it, "Yeah, can't you handle two kids?"

The Captain roared and reached down for them, lifting both teens into the air, "ENOUGH! You two are a dead!"

"Hey Casper you hear that? I think we really got under his skin!" Chris announced happily.

"You got that right Matchstick!" Danny agreed as they both grabbed the Captain's hands and kicked his knees out.

The man screamed in pain as the teens broke free from his grip. Danny turned to see Chris hold up his wrists.

"Don't miss this time," the bespectacled teen said nervously.

The ghost boy took aim and fired two flawless shots that tore through the shackles and shattered the runes. As the shards of metal fell from his wrists, Chris looked down at the Captain and let an evil smile cross his face.

"Guess what bucko? Its play time!" Chris yelled happily as his body began to glow.

The Captain looked up in horror as flames began to pour out of Chris' body, "No…"

Danny watched from the behind as the fully powered firecaster pummeled the grey skinned man until he finally lifted him by the throat. The Captain sputtered something and then passed out. Chris stopped smiling and threw the man to the ground.

"That's all for him, now its time to deal with the rest of these idiots," Chris said turning to face the crowd.

The darkness surrounding the arena was deathly silent. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound, there was just darkness until something leapt up and into the arena. Landing with a thud a familiar raven haired Asian teen stood up with a smile. Behind her Lila leapt in to the arena holding one of the councilmen by the collar.

"You wouldn't happen to mean these idiots would you?" June asked with a smile. She hugged Chris tightly, then looked down at him, "You're a mess." Chris just laughed. "I can't believe you made me come all the way here just for this, you couldn't handle these guys on your own?"

"Hey now, they cheated," Chris tried to explain.

"Of course they did, they didn't say they were going to beat you up before they put the shackles on did they?" Danny chimed in.

Chris just bowed his head. There was no winning this fight…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After getting cleaned up and having his wound patched, Chris approached the captured councilmen.

"If you guys thought I was dangerous before, you sure are in for a treat," he said pulling back their hoods one by one.

He had never seen any of them before, neither had June, but they weren't a very impressive bunch.

"Let me give you some advice," June said, "the next time you want to come after someone in the human, especially someone in my family, you tell us so we don't have to go through all this unpleasantness again, got it?"

Each of the councilmen nodded, except for one. He looked up at Chris like he knew him and didn't take his eyes off the firecaster. Lila pointed out that he was the only member of the council to surrender.

"Alright pal, you look like there's something on your mind so spill it," Chris said lifting him and pulling him away from the other council members.

He had light purple skin and red horns jutting from his forehead. His eyes were yellow and his pink, forked tongue darted in and out of his mouth as he spoke.

"My name is Largo, and I was a friend of your father," he explained.

Chris' eyes narrowed as the others watched the conversation carefully.

"I have been doing my best to keep the council away from you ever since your parent's deaths, but there was nothing I could do this time," Largo continued.

"So you decided to just let them kill me like some kind of animal? Gee, thanks, I'm sure my dad would have been really thankful!" Chris spouted angrily.

His words bit hard as Largo shuddered under the firecaster's might.

"I know I failed to protect you as I had set out to do, but your friends… your own strength was enough to save you!" the councilman said quickly.

Chris sneered and stormed out of the room, steam pouring from his eyes. It was taking everything he had not to just roast the councilmen. Worried about him, Lila ran after the teen.

June turned back to Largo, "Why did this all happen? Is my brother really that strong?"

The demonic councilman nodded, "He has enough power to wipe out an entire city, maybe even a country, and eventually, as his power continues to grow unchecked, he could destroy an entire planet."

"But why not just train him, why kill him?" June asked trying to understand everything.

"I have been trying to find a way to do that ever since his powers first emerged, but there just isn't anyone left who can match his raw power. The best choice would have been his father, but he's gone now," Largo answered, "My fellow councilmen felt it was in everyone's best interest if he was eliminated, but I knew that he had a purpose to serve."

"Purpose?" Danny asked, "What are you talking about, of course he has a purpose! He defends the magical world with his sister!"

"There is more to it than that," Largo replied, "Haven't you noticed the strange events happening all around you? The red lightning, the strange migrations of rival races, the appearances of new threats? There is a war brewing!"

"Whoa, whoa, a war? And what, my brother's gonna stop it?" June asked angrily.

"I don't know," Largo answered, "His future is uncertain, as is your own, Juniper Lee. All that is known is that the two of you will play a key role in some cosmic event…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Chris!" Lila yelled for the firecaster to stop, "Please, Chris wait!"

He stopped and turned to face her, tears in his eyes, and pain in his face. Lila had never seen him like this, it was just painful to watch.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Lila reached for him, pulling him into a hug, "Shhhh, its okay. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise," she told him as he clung to her.

"There's just so much that I didn't know about my dad and yet here I am having to deal with it all on my own," Chris continued. "I just don't know what to do."

The Bigfoot listened to his words very carefully, "You're not alone in this. You've got me, and June, and Danny, and everyone else. What about Jody? She loves you more than you could possibly know. See, you're not alone, you've got all of us right behind you, ready to catch you when you fall."

They were silent as they stood there, him in her arms, her whispering softly to him.

"Thank you Lila," he finally said, "I needed that."

She lightly kissed his head and then ruffled his hair, "Anytime, that's what I'm here for."

Stepping apart they smiled at one another and then turned back just in time to see June and Danny burst through the door. They were panic stricken as they ran up to the pair.

"Guys what's wrong?" Lila asked.

Chris tapped her on the shoulder as he looked up, "Uh Lila, you should really turn around."

Slowly she turned around and came face to face with a swirling cloud of darkness spewing out what looked like ghostly Vikings. Each soldier wore shredded clothing revealing their skeletal bodies underneath, clutched swords, spears, axes, or clubs, and produced a yodeling shriek. At the forefront flew a black horse with bat-like wings carrying a black a silver armored knight that Danny knew all to well.

"The Fright Knight!" Danny yelled staring up at his old foe.

The four teens watched as the Knight lead the army to the ground and towards Union City. The wave of ghostly warriors washed over everything in front of them until a blast of red energy sent them back. The gates opened to reveal ten rows of heavily armed knights carrying weapons of all shapes and sizes. As the ghosts prepared to attack once more, Union City's army braced for impact.

What came at them wasn't the army, but the Fright Knight himself! He drew his glowing green blade and swung once, but nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly he leapt from his horse and into the group of knights, swinging, punching, kicking, pummeling, viciously assaulting everything in his sight. Behind him the ghosts came screaming up to the knights, finishing off any survivors until there was nothing left living.

The teens couldn't believe their eyes! How was it possible? June, Chris, and Lila all knew the stories, Union City's knights were the most powerful fighting force around! How then, could they have been beaten by a bunch of ghosts?

"It's already too late," Largo said coming up behind them, "The war has begun!"

Danny and June looked back out over the destruction. The sky had turned a dark shade of red as an odd looking sarcophagus appeared. Danny recognized it right away. How could he not? He'd nearly been killed sealing the occupant away!

Suddenly the lid exploded and someone fell out. He was dressed all in black, with small bits of armor here and there. Atop his brow sat the Crown of Fire and as he fell, the air around him snapped and echoed with power. Then he slammed into the ground kicking up a cloud of smoke and when he appeared again, he was twice as big as the last time he had walked the earth.

"It's him!" Danny cringed, "Pariah Dark is free again!"

To Be Continued…

Ha ha ha! I've finally done it! I've finished a chapter just several days after the last one! It's a miracle!

In any event, Pariah Dark is free, Chris and Danny have truly started to work together and get along, Danny and June's big secrets have been revealed to everyone but one another, and the war is beginning. Can the council muster up an army to hold back the ghost world army or will the magical world fall to the phantom invaders? And if the magical world is defeated, what does that mean for our world? All this and some of that ever lovin' teen angst next time!


	6. Taking Sides

Crossroads

Chapter 6: Taking Sides

As the quartet watched the Fright Knight's army phase through the walls, Largo backed away. He couldn't believe how powerful the phantom force was! Union City's army was supposed to be the strongest in the realm and yet they had been swept aside like nothing!

Danny could feel himself shaking uncontrollably as he watched Pariah Dark approach his second-in-command. How was it possible? Dark was supposed to have been sealed away forever after their first encounter…and yet there he was! If things didn't seem hopeless before that, they certainly did now.

Beside the ghost boy, June could hear her own heart pounding. She was scared! It was an emotion she wasn't used to. She could see the same fear creeping over Danny and the others as she looked to each of her friends. That…man, Dark, was just seething power! She hadn't felt anything like it since…since she faced Loki and Thor…this guy was a god! There was no other answer!

"We have to go!" Lila yelled snapping everyone out of there thoughts, "Guys, we don't have much time, if we don't get out of here now, we'll be overrun too!"

Chris looked back down into the city to see families screaming in terror as phantom soldiers appeared before them, striking at them with very real, very deadly weapons. He couldn't just run from that, could he? Despite everything that had happened, despite the trial and conviction, he still felt the need to uphold his oath to protect the people of the magical realm…but how could he? He didn't know how to fight ghosts, much less an entire army of them. Lila was right, it was time to go.

"Haku!" Chris yelled at the top of his lungs, squeezing the dragon scale as he heated it up.

They all looked into the sky as the very welcome sight of the white scaled dragon soared into view. He was close, but the ghosts were getting closer a lot faster! The dragon barely had time to swoop down to grab June, who grabbed Lila, who in turn grabbed Largo as the dragon soared into the sky. Behind them, Chris and Danny took to the sky, looking down at where they had just stood as the phantoms appeared and yelled after them.

The group flew as fast as possible, trying to put as much distance between them and Union City as possible. They had to get back to the human world, buy some time to come up with a plan! They had no idea what awaited them on the other side…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jasmine Lee held her side as the wound gushed blood. How could she have been so foolish? She should have seen the warning signs! As she slid to the ground in that cold dark alley, the orcs swarmed around and past her. The reptilian humanoid creatures weren't there to fight her, they were running and she just happened to be standing in their way. But the question was, what could scare an orc enough to make an entire tribe run away like that? Suddenly one orc came skidding to a stop beside her. The elder Lee looked up, cringing as she thought of what was next…

"Jasmine?" the blue skinned female asked concerned. She had a white Mohawk that hung down in braids, soft yellow eyes, and pearly white fangs that hung from her mouth. She was dressed in a brown leather bikini top and loincloth and her shoulders were both adorned with white tattoos. Her body was tight and muscled, but she was beautiful by any races' standards.

"Dartha?" Jasmine asked as she passed out.

The blue orc lifted the elder Lee into her arms and took off down the alleyway, away from her fleeing tribe. She knew if the others had realized who they had attacked they would try to finish her off. Dartha Ten Blades was a rarity among her people, an orc that not only understood the human tongue, but spoke it flawlessly. She was also one of the few level headed orcs in any of the tribes. She had long been a friend of the Te Xuan Ze.

Around her, people started to point and shout, drawing more unneeded attention. Police came running at her from four directions, their guns drawn, their teeth bared. They kept warning her to put Jasmine down and step away with her hands up, but she couldn't comply, she didn't have time to deal with them. Crouching down, Darth launched herself up into the air, flying up several stories and onto the roof of a nearby building.

Softly resting Jasmine down, the orc woman carefully pulled off the former Te Xuan Ze's chest plate and lifted her shirt to take a good look at the wound. It wasn't very deep, but Jasmine wasn't young anymore. More so, it was an orc blade, not exactly the cleanest weapon in the world. Dartha quickly set about mending the wound and dressing it as she kept looking down at the crowd that had gathered around the building she was on top of. She didn't have long before the humans tried something stupid.

Above the pair, red lightning flashed, lighting up the night sky in a crimson tint. Along the outskirts of Orchid Bay, the loud roar of a finely tuned Harley-Davidson flew along the highway. Its rider was dressed in all black, his helmet had splashes of blue and red in the form of a hawk. At his belt hung a pair of Colt Single Action Armies, a gift passed down in his family since they had first been forged in the 1800's.

He skidded to a stop as several small creatures passed in front of him. They were barely the size of children, but they were far from human. Lifting the visor on his helmet, the rider smiled as he waved them along.

"Get someplace safe, this is no time to be out for a walk," he said as he walked his bike past the family.

Bringing the hog back to life, he flew into the city as fast as he could. He just prayed he got there in time to do some good and not just to pick up the pieces.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody clung to the pendent Chris had given her as she watched the people run down the street in horror. Cars and vans filled to the point of bursting drove past the pedestrians as something chased after them. From within the Lee house, she couldn't make out what it was, but she heard the flapping of wings and the shriek of what could have been a large bird.

Behind her, her parents sat on the couch, clinging to each other, doing their very best not to break down and scream in absolute terror. The whole house shook as the creature, whatever it was, passed overhead. They still couldn't comprehend the fact that magic was real or that the creatures outside were the stuff of fantasy and nightmares!

Jazz walked up beside her blonde haired cousin and watched as a family of gnomes ran by. Ghosts were one thing, but she had never guessed that other creatures might exist beyond that. Now she wished she had paid more attention to those old fairytales and legends when she was younger.

Michael and Barbara Lee stood in their daughter's room looking at all the magical treasures she had. Ray-Ray and Ashley stood before them, searching for specific potions and items that could be used to defend the house should they need to. In the back of the youngest Lee's mind, he hoped and prayed he wouldn't have to fight this time. He was scared…no, he was terrified. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't stand a chance against an entire army, he just hoped June and the others could.

In the garage, the Fentons sat at a table preparing their high tech weaponry. They were going to make anything that stepped foot in that house wish it had never been born. Jack stood, sliding the Jack-o'-Ninetails onto his belt, the Fenton gloves onto his hands, and grabbing the ecto-cannon. His wife pulled the Specter Deflector on, hung several ghost grenades from her belt, and slapped a new power pack into the Fenton Bazooka. As they walked back into the house, Maddie quickly grabbed the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick and slipped it into her belt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Haku took a deep breath as he exited the portal to the human world, relieved to be back in his realm, but that relief soon disappeared when he saw the many magical creatures swarming over the city of Orchid Bay. Death Crows filled the air, flapping their shredded and ragged wings, snapping their warped beaks at anything that could potentially be a meal. Orcs moved through the streets in tribes, flipping cars, destroying walls, and separating families. The bay crashed about as tentacles slapped ships, crushed the docks, and pulled people under. The magical world had escaped its own realm and fled to the human world, but what it thought it could do here was anyone's guess.

Chris and Danny stayed close to one another as they watched the destruction. As the pair soared after the dragon, they kept watching the Death Crows, birds twice as big as humans, swoop down from the sky. Chris knew they wouldn't stand a chance against something like that in open air. Motioning for Danny to speed up, they caught hold of Haku and joined the others as the serpentine flyer moved closer to the ground.

"This is unbelievable," Danny said as he clung to June.

The Te Xuan Ze blushed as she felt his arms tighten around her waist. If only she knew that he was her boyfriend's alter-ego, "This is only the beginning," she managed to say, "There's bound to be a lot more coming through the portal."

"And a lot worse, too," Lila added, "If the orcs are here, how long before the other races start coming through? And when they meet up there's going to be a major backlash."

Largo swallowed hard as the teens spoke around him. He had known that a war was coming, but nothing like this. Three worlds were in a complete upheaval! The Ghost Zone, Magical Realm, and Human World were going to tear each other apart.

They continued flying along until a gigantic black shape appeared before them. Its wingspan was twice as long as Haku and its shriek pierced the sky like a thousand fingernails on a chalkboard. This Death Crow was the mother of the murder and she was not happy to find something other than her children flying in her sky.

Dipping as fast as he could, Haku just barely avoided the Mama Crow's claws. Everyone clung to the white scaled dragon as best they could as he dodged again and again, each swipe getting closer and closer until finally, the monstrous bird caught Haku in its unbreakable grip. Shaking once, the bird sent all of the riders into the sky, plummeting down to the ground.

As they fell, smaller Death Crows attacked them in midair, ripping at them with their talons. Above them, Haku struggled with the Mama Crow, clamping down on her talons with his razor sharp teeth. He shredded the flesh on one of her legs, but the beast refused to release him. The dragon could feel his bones popping as the grip grew tighter around him. He wasn't going to last much longer…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila finally managed to grab her Death Crow by the beak and swung with all her might. The vicious demon bird let out a pain filled squawk and stopped struggling. Pulling the bird close, Lila positioned herself so that it would hit first when they came down.

Her plan worked perfectly except for one part. As the pair came down, they collided with the edge of a building, knocking the bird away from the Bigfoot and sending her over the edge. She was still falling when she caught a wire from a satellite dish and swung around. The wire was pulling free of its coupling the closer it got to the ground, but it had slowed her descent enough that she was able to land softly in the dark alley. It was a little frightening, but she preferred that place over the sky.

"Maybe I spoke to soon," she muttered backing away from the shadows.

Pair after pair of blazing red eyes peered out at her from the darkness as a loud, evil snickering erupted in the alley, echoing off the close walls. She was in trouble and now she was all alone…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Largo clung tightly to June's leg as the pair continued to fall, knocking the vicious birds away when they got too close. Above them, June caught sight of her brother, fully transformed once more, taking the fight to the birds. He lit up the night sky attracting the attention of any Death Crows in the area and as one after another clung to him, his light seemed to disappear until an explosion sounded through the air and the birds were sent in every direction, some singed, others completely engulfed in flames.

Looking up after the Mama Crow, Chris was about to go after his dragon when June screamed his name. The firecaster looked down at his sister and then back up at the gigantic crow attacking his dragon. Clenching his teeth, he flew down after June and Largo.

The former councilman screamed as the firecaster grabbed him and his flames spread out over both of their bodies. He kept trying to put himself out, but calmed down when he realized the fire wasn't burning him. June was equally panicked when her brother's fire started to cover her, but she soon found it comforting, like it was reinvigorating her.

Chris quickly set them down on a nearby rooftop and turned around to go after Haku when June grabbed him by the foot.

"What are you doing?" she asked, "You can't go back up there!"

"I have to, Haku needs me!" the firecaster answered pulling himself free.

With that, June watched her brother disappear into the sky once more, leaving a blazing trail behind him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny blasted away any bird that got too close to him, but he was starting to panic, he had lost sight of June and the others after the first wave of Death Crows set about them and now he was on his own. One after another, the birds piled on him, snapping at him with their razor sharp beaks, one leaving a deep gash below his left eye, another cutting deep into his arm. Finally, he crashed down to rooftop, using the crows as a cushion. The snapping had stopped, but as he rose to his feet he found that a lot more had followed him down.

Ducking under several of them, Danny took a deep breath and let loose a ghostly wail tearing through the small murder that was now bearing down on him.

All around, the little birds fell to the ground in little clumps of black feathers. Danny took a deep breath and fell to his knees. His whole body ached and with good reason, he was covered in cuts from those annoying birds. He wanted to just curl up in a ball and go to sleep. No…he wanted to be with June. Where was she? Where were the others for that matter? All he could see was a line of fire leading back into the sky. Chris was going back up there by himself…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Haku took another shaky breath, shuddering as he fell limp. The Mama Crow had refused to leg go, even after he'd shredded one of her legs and he couldn't get a deep enough breath to blast her with his fire breath. This looked like the end for him when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar, spiky haired fireball coming right at him.

Chris flew right at the gigantic bird's head, aiming for her eye as he released a massive blast of fire. The bird squawked and thrashed as the fireball tore through its eye, lighting the left side of her head on fire.

The monstrous bird continued to thrash, finally releasing Haku, as she tried to put out the fire on her head and eat Chris at the same time. The firecaster flew straight down with the bird chasing after him, snapping its mighty jaws over and over again as it got closer. The two passed Haku as they plummeted, Chris catching the dragon's eye as he mustered a smile.

At the last possible second, Chris pulled out of his dive, but the Mama Crow was to big and thrashing about too much to save herself. A huge cloud of dust filled the sky around several blocks attracting everyone's attention. June looked for any sign of Chris and cheered as the firecaster burst free of the cloud and back into the sky to meet his dragon trying to guide itself down.

"It's alright," Chris said as he grabbed hold of Haku's head, "I'm here to help."

Haku smiled as he felt the light of the firecaster spreading out over his body. It would be a long time before he was ready to fight again, but at least he was going to make it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila bit down hard as the goblin screeched in agony. The little creature tasted horrible, but it was far more preferable to having a dagger stuck in her back. As she backhanded another of the little creatures, Lila grabbed the leader by the neck and lifted him high into the air. She held him about a foot off the ground as she squeezed tightly. He howled and chattered in that way that goblins do until finally the others backed away. Lila thought it was because she had scared them, but little did she know it was because of the green skinned orc standing behind her, heaving heavily, as it lifted its bone crushing axe over its head. Turning just in time, the Bigfoot leapt out of the way and the axe came down, slicing the goblin leader in half.

She fell back as the black blood from the tiny form sprayed out over her. The orc just smiled revealing two rows of large tusks. Lila had nowhere to go as the creature lifted its axe once more. She backed away along the ground, unable to keep herself from shaking. She was absolutely terrified!

The orc laughed as it approached, but suddenly stopped when an arrow screeched out of the shadows and imbedded itself deep into the creature's chest. It looked down curiously just as the missile exploded sending the creature to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest.

Lila looked over her shoulder, expecting to find an even more hideous creature, but instead found a slender form with a black velvet cloak draped over its wondrous body. Slowly the new arrival pulled back its hood to reveal light violet skin, dark purple hair, and two pupil-less white eyes. Her purple lips pulled back into a smile as she reached her hand forward to lift Lila to her feet. The brunette Bigfoot couldn't take her eyes off the woman that stood before her. The woman's ears were pointed revealing that she was en elf, but not just any elf, she was a night elf.

"Are you alright, child?" the elf asked in a soft voice.

Lila could only nod, too amazed to even speak.

"Good, then follow me," the elf insisted.

The Bigfoot didn't even consider questioning the she-elf as they stepped over the body of the fallen orc and into the shadows of the city.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dartha ran along the rooftops, Jasmine hanging from her back, cringing every now and then. The old woman had held out for as long as she could, but she needed a healer and fast. The blue orc girl had to keep moving. She knew that if she stopped the Death Crows would pick up her passenger's scent and that would be it.

The orc girl looked up into the sky, hoping to see that white dragon again, a sign that not just chaotic races had crossed over, but was saddened to find nothing but those horrible black demon birds. There had been a major light show in the sky just minutes ago, but now there was nothing and the white dragon may have fallen in battle. Not a good sign, considering that a white dragon is supposed to be good luck.

As she continued running, she also ran through ideas of what to do next. Her own tribe would not allow the former Te Xuan Ze in their presence and any other tribe would kill her and Jasmine. Maybe the elves, but except for the night elf she knew through the Te Xuan Ze, the only other elves she knew were the chaotic Drow, and she didn't want anything to do with those vile creatures. The merfolk weren't to be trusted and the dwarves weren't very open to humans or orcs…

"Just hang on old girl," Dartha said to her passenger, gaining a better grip. "I'll get you to help yet…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The black rider swerved again and again, avoiding the continuous rain of rocks and spears. The trolls had dug themselves in pretty deep for the portal only having just opened. The deformed creatures were angry and getting angrier and he knew it. If he wasn't careful, they were going to score a hit and soon.

The man pulled his right Colt, affectionately named Alice, from its holster and took aim. The six shooter fired twice, dropping a large wooden sign into the troll crowd, knocking many to the ground and scaring the others enough to create an opening for him to squeeze his Harley through.

Disappearing down a side street, the man stopped his bike, dismounted, and pulled the helmet from his head. His dark brown curls clung to his sweat soaked brow as pulled Alice's sister, Debra, from her holster and slinked down to the alley entrance. Peering around the corner, he took made a quick scan of the troll infested city block. No civilians, no cars, nothing, it looked like that particular area had evacuated when the trouble first started.

"Ready girls?" the man asked, pulling back the hammers.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the corner and let his Colts do the rest of the talking for him as the trolls charged forward.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny felt a warm hand on his side and smiled. Softly he called for June as he rolled over and came face to face with the demonic Largo.

"AHH!" he cried out in surprise.

"Nice to see you to, kid," Largo retorted standing up.

Behind him stood June, looking down at the halfa curiously. Why had he called her name? He didn't know her well enough to be dreaming about her, at least she didn't think so. If only she knew the truth.

"You okay?" she asked pulling him to his feet.

The gash below his eye had dried and made him look like he had been crying blood. His other injuries were fairly minor, but there were a lot of them and he cringed when she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," June quickly said, removing her hand.

"No, no, its okay," Danny told her, "I'm okay, just a little beaten and confused. I thought all this stuff was supposed to stay in the magical world?" he asked.

June looked over at Largo, "Yeah, so did I."

The former councilman just shrugged, walking over to the edge of the building, looking out over the city for some sign of the others. They had all been separated so easily and each had landed with their own set of problems. Lila was somewhere in the city's bowels, Chris and Haku were somewhere near the coast, and they had just found Danny. They had to get the team together again quickly, Largo thought to himself, there was something nagging at the back of his mind, something that he couldn't quite figure out, but he thought if he could get them all together again it would make itself clear.

"Come on," June said grabbing Danny by the hand and pulling him over by Largo, "We've still gotta find Lila and Chris."

With that said, she leaped over to the next rooftop, pulling Danny behind her. Largo followed, but he kept a little distance between himself and the pair, immersing himself completely in his own thoughts. Meanwhile, June decided to press the matter at hand with Danny…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris lay within the coil that was his dragon. The pair had just landed and they were now resting along the beach. Except for the thrashing water and occasional tentacle bursting from beneath the waves, it was actually a fairly peaceful view. The dragon was taking deep, tentative breaths as he lay there with his friend. The Mama Crow had done a lot more damage than he had expected. His scales were torn up and off along his midriff and it hurt to move his legs. If not for Chris coming back up for him, the dragon feared he would have been made into a meal for the demon bird.

The firecaster couldn't bring himself to move from where he had landed. Haku was warm and blocking the fierce winds and Chris just didn't seem to have the energy to get back up. His battle with the gigantic Death Crow had nearly wiped him out…not to mention his face-off with the Captain of the Guard. He was lucky to still be in enough of one piece to even be laying there on the beach.

"I guess Largo wasn't kidding when he said a war was coming," the bespectacled teen said, his words muffled by the sleeping dragon curled around him, "I just didn't think it would be so soon. Or that it'd take this much out of me."

Chris had always prided himself on his ability to fight and fight and fight no matter what the odds, but just that entrance back into his home world and the flight down to the ground had nearly overwhelmed him…that wasn't true, it had overwhelmed him. He was exhausted and there was no denying it. He had to get someplace safer than the open beach, but with a war starting and the races all vying for position around him, was there really anywhere safe?

That was when he heard the crunching footsteps approaching his position. He wanted to get up and fire a warning shot, just a quick blast of flame to scare off whoever it was, but his legs felt like jelly. He and his dragon would be an easy target for whoever or whatever it was.

"What?" came a soft, melodic voice, "I thought I trained you better than this."

Chris looked up in utter surprise at the voice. He never thought he'd see her here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The trio made there way across the rooftops of the city looking down into the alleys as they crossed over them. Swarms of orcs, goblins, trolls, and other ghastly creatures were pouring out of the shadows and into the city. It was a full scale invasion force that had arrived and fortified positions in the time it had taken to save Chris from the council and escape from Dark's grasp. Absolutely mind-boggling, but not as much as the conversation Danny was having with June at that very moment…

The punch hit Danny squarely in the jaw and sent him skidding across the rooftop, "How could you keep something like that a secret from me?!" June screamed, not caring how much attention she was about to attract.

The white haired boy looked up at her, a bruise already beginning to form under his eye, "I didn't know how to tell you…" he rose wobbly, "but mostly I didn't want to tell you for just this reason!"

Largo looked back at them with fear in his eyes, their yelling had just taken the notice of a particularly mean looking troll. The grotesque creature looked up with its one big bulging eye and caught sight of the demonic councilman. With that, it jammed its decrepit fingers into the wall and lifted itself up as it began its ascent.

"Children?" Largo asked continuing to back away from the edge, "Maybe you could finish this chat later?" The panic and fear in his voice was painfully obvious but the quarreling couple didn't seem to hear him.

"How can I ever trust you if you didn't feel the need to tell me about your other life?" June stammered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"You wanna talk about trust?" Danny yelled, "What about your own late night activities? How was I supposed to know you wouldn't beat me to a bloody pulp and then shoot me off to some magical prison?"

The teens shot quips back and forth at each other, hurting one another while also revealing more about themselves than they realized until a gigantic shadow appeared over them.

Looking up in unison the pair felt both their jaws drop as the troll lifted its club high over head. There wasn't enough time to do anything, but brace for the impact as the rooftop exploded in a cloud of dust and rubble.

June opened her eyes, feeling herself flying through the air, searching for any sign of Danny or Largo, her argument with the ghost boy quickly forgotten. Her body was weightless as it sailed down towards the ground…

Danny was lost in a swirl of darkness. His head ached, a small trail of blood falling from the gash on his forehead. His eyes wouldn't clear as he searched for June and Largo to no avail. Everything was dark, he hadn't escaped the dust cloud from the explosion…

Largo whipped his tail around the nearest flagpole he could find after clearing the blast cloud. Spinning around and coming to rest on the pole, he scanned the area for any sign of June or Danny but came up with nothing. Why didn't they listen to him? Where could they be? Are they still alive? The questions came faster and faster as Largo realized he had just lost his bargaining chips…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Rider stumbled back to his Harley cradling his left arm. The visor on his helmet was cracked revealing his blue eyes and pale skin. Slowly he reached up and pulled it off letting his blonde hair fall over his grizzled features. Lopping the helmet straps over the handles of his bike he fell to the ground, his head bowed. The man didn't look happy.

"Glad you could make it," the woman sitting across from him said.

"Did you really think I would miss this?" he asked, a forced smiled crossing his pursed lips.

Jasmine Lee watched the blonde man look up. Those blue eyes of his pierced through her soul bringing back the memories of days long past and feelings long since extinguished. The elder Lee rose, quickly grabbing her side. This was not a good beginning…

To be continued…

The war has begun! Chris and Haku come face to face with yet another person from their past, but this time it's an ally…right? And what about Lila? Just who did she meet? June? Danny? The troll's attack may have done more than just separate them! But wait there's more! Ah-Mah and Dartha meet up with the mysterious Black Rider, but who is he and what's his connection to Ah-Mah? All this and much more in the next chapter!!!!!


	7. Only The Beginning

Crossroads

Chapter 7: Only The Beginning

Day One

"This is Trent Tillman reporting to you live from Orchid Bay where just several short hours ago, strange and wondrous creatures began popping up. What appear to be elves and orcs, dreamt of only in fantasy books and movies, have been pouring into the city from an unknown source. While the elves seem content to just sit tight in whatever areas they can find, the orcs have begun tearing the city apart. And they're not the only ones. Reports of demonic birds, goblins, and more have been flooding the emergency lines. Fire crews are out here right now trying to douse the flames started by what early reports claim to be dragons, and police are urging citizens to stay indoors. Lock and barricade your homes, take you loved ones into the basement and stay tuned for further ugh…"

The blue suited reporter didn't finish his last sentence as a three pronged trident pierced his chest. The people watching Tillman's final report could only watch in absolute terror as a grey skinned goblin approached the cameraman, snarling as it waved a particularly devilish looking blade. The camera fell from the man's hands and slid away just as the goblin plunged the blade into the man's stomach and twisted. The cameraman shrieked in agony as he died in the goblin's hands. The grey skinned creature then lifted the camera and stared into its lens, laughing as it gobbled the device down, severing the feed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The mayor of Orchid Bay slid down in his chair as he watched the final report. Why was this happening? Why during his term? That didn't really matter right now, did it? What mattered was him getting to safety as fast as possible! The people didn't like him, he knew that much, so why should he risk anything trying help them? Pulling open a drawer in his desk, he pulled out a bottle of bourbon and a glass. He poured himself a glass as he reached for his phone.

"Get a helicopter ready," he said into the receiver.

There was no response.

"Get a helicopter ready!" he yelled once more.

This time there was a response, but it wasn't what he expected. The shriek was cut off halfway through as the person on the other end was slaughtered. Dropping the phone and backing away, the fat man began to shake furiously. Why was this happening to him? Suddenly the door to his office flew open revealing several hooded forms as they stepped in. The mayor felt a wetness between his legs as one of them pulled out a long blade and smiled under its hood.

In a beautiful, yet venomous voice it asked, "You are the leader of this city?"

The mayor nodded hoping that meant he would be spared, but he knew nothing of the Drow. They thrived on chaos and what better way to create chaos than to eliminate the leader? The fat man gulped one last time then screamed as the blade slashed down severing his head from his body.

"Excellent, brother," one of the females said pulling back her hood.

They all pulled their hoods back revealing black onyx skin and silver hair. Their eyes were chilling, showing no compassion whatsoever as they grabbed the mayor's legs and dragged his headless corpse out in front of city hall.

Tarim, the leader, looked out over the crowd of police that had formed outside of the building. Apparently, a call for help had been made…too bad for them. The five Drow leapt into the air at the police, blades flashing as lightning crackled over head.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody looked out the window once more as the swarms of goblins descended on their block. There were still people out there and they had no way of defending themselves! Police had begun patrolling the neighborhoods as Marshall Law was declared but even they were unprepared for the swarm. Officers fired wildly into the mass of green flesh and flashing blades to no avail. One by one the officers were cut down.

Cringing, the blonde girl turned and ran for the basement alone with Ray-Ray and Jazz. As they closed and locked the door, Ray-Ray poured powder at the base of the door and over several of the steps. Behind him, Monroe began speaking in an ancient, unfamiliar language and the powder started to glow in unison with the markings around the door.

"That should do it lad," the pug said hopefully, "Nothing should be able to get through that door."

Ray-Ray didn't respond, he just looked at it and hoped that wherever they were, June and Chris were okay.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris slammed into the sand, skidding along until he could leap back to his feet. The woman standing across from him smiled as she eyed him. Her purple hair flowed in the wind as Haku lifted his head to watch the "battle". Chris roared leaping at her, spinning in the air and thrusting his leg forward in a flying kick. The violet skinned woman stepped back letting him land just in front of her and laughed enraging him even further. Throwing a haymaker, the woman caught the firecaster's fist and then pulled him into a tight hug. Running up behind them, Lila caught sight of the night elf embracing Chris and just laughed.

"You haven't changed at all, little one," the elf said releasing her hold on the bespectacled teen.

Chris stepped back to look at her and smiled. She was just as he remembered her.

"It's good to see you again teacher," he said calmly.

"Teacher?" Lila asked confused.

"Yes," the elf responded, "I taught this little monster everything he knows about magic and fighting. It was his father's last request of me."

Lila couldn't believe it. First Chris turned out to be the last firecaster in the world an now he was also the apprentice of a night elf? That didn't matter at the moment, she instead decided to make a suggestion.

"I don't mean to interrupt your reunion, but maybe we should head somewhere safe, like inside or something?" the Bigfoot explained.

Chris looked at his teacher then back at Haku. Was this all that was left of their group? What about June and Danny and that little demon guy? And what about the city? Shouldn't they be out there trying to help?

"Come little one," the night elf said, taking Chris' hand, "There is nothing we can do at the moment. We need time to come up with a plan."

With that the firecaster and Bigfoot followed the night elf into the city's alleys in search of shelter. Behind them Haku trotted along slipping into the shadows just as a SWAT van pulled up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June awoke to a pain in her back. Opening her eyes, she found herself laid out on top of a car. Through the windshield to be precise. Carefully picking herself up, June cringed when she saw several shards of glass imbedded in her left arm. The Asian teen pulled on one, hoping to pry it free, only to cause herself even more pain. This wasn't going to work, she thought looking down into the car. Fortunately for her, there was a first aid kit sticking out from under the passenger seat.

"That oughta come in handy," June said reaching for it.

Behind her, the city street that was normally bustling with people and commerce now lay in ruins. The people were all missing…or at least that was what June prayed as she wrapped her arm in a sling. Standing up, she felt sick to her stomach. Everything had just happened so fast. One second she and Danny were arguing, the next she was alone in a totaled car.

Closing the kit, June started down the street in search of Danny and Largo. When she found them, they'd have to come up with a way of finding the others…

"Chris…Lila," June gasped.

They were out there, possibly injured and all on their own. The Te Xuan Ze started running at that thought. She needed to reunite with the others right away!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny picked himself up and dusted himself off. He had crashed through the wall of an apartment building while trying to escape that troll. Quickly getting his bearings, he found a trail of blood leading into one of the bedrooms. He suddenly felt very sick. As he approached the bedroom door, a chattering sound emanated from within. Slowly, the ghost boy pushed the door open to reveal a goblin huddled over two bodies. One was male, the other female, and both were very dead.

He turned away to vomit just as the goblin caught sight of him. Yelling in surprise, the creature tackled him and both of them flew out the same way Danny had wound up in the apartment. Falling several stories, Danny managed to kick the goblin away and watched as it fell sixteen flights, straight down and landed with a wet splat. The white haired teen landed next to the creature and just looked at it with a seething hatred.

"I guess this really is a war," he said to himself kneeling down to analyze the goblin's belongings.

In its hands, were a dagger and what should have been the ring fingers of two full grown adults. They had been cut off for the golden wedding bands around each. This disgusting beast had killed those two for their wedding rings. How could anything be so fickle? Suddenly, there was more chattering behind him. Grabbing the dagger Danny spun, his eyes blazing bright green as he stormed towards the sound. He wasn't going to leave a single survivor, he told himself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila sat with the night elf talking while Chris helped Haku into the basement of the building they had decided to make into a makeshift base. The dragon needed time to rest and recover after his ordeal with the Death Crows.

"My name is Ayatheria," the night elf explained, "But most just call me Aya."

Lila smiled, "I'm Lila, it's nice to meet you Aya."

Aya's blank eyes made it impossible to tell if she was looking at Lila unless she was looking directly at her, but the Bigfoot didn't mind. The night elf was someone a lot like her.

"How long have you known Chris," Aya asked pulling her quiver and cloak off revealing her pale skinned body.

Lila was stunned at her beauty. Aya only wore a leather brassiere and bottom. Her boots were made of the same material and along her legs and arms were dark purple markings that completely captivated Lila's attention. The little Bigfoot blushed when she realized Aya was watching her stare.

"I…I've known Chris for a few years now," Lila answered sheepishly, "We've been tight ever since we fought off a giant snake."

"Ah yes, he's told me about that particular adventure," Aya said surprising Lila, "He told me about getting poisoned and you…"

"Sucked the poison out, yeah," Lila went on laughing, "I had to treat him like a baby, carrying him back and helping him with everything while he was recovering. He was so embarrassed."

The girls laughed not noticing Chris step back into the room. He looked ready to keel over. He was exhausted and it showed, not to mention that he had reopened the wound on his chest and his arms were covered in cuts from the death crows.

"You don't look so good," Aya said standing and walking over to him.

Chris looked up at her and closed his eyes. Everything that had happened in the last few hours…he had nothing left.

Aya caught him as he fell forward, passed out. Lila grabbed his feet and the girls brought him over to a mattress they had found in the basement. They each had one and after pulling the firecaster's shoes, shirt, and glasses off, they pulled a blanket over the boy and went back to the other room to continue talking.

"So what was he like as kid?" Lila asked closing the door to Chris' room.

Aya cocked an eyebrow to that question, "You'd better sit down, you'll never believe me…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jazz draped an arm over Jody's shoulders and rested her head on the blonde girl. It didn't take a genius to see that she was worried about her friends. Jody and Jazz had always been close, but Jazz could never have imagined everything Jody had gone through recently.

"He'll be fine," Jazz assured her, "From everything you've told me, I'd be more worried about the bad guys than him."

Jody perked up a little, forcing a smile. It was the first time she'd smiled since Chris was kidnapped right before her eyes.

In another part of the basement, Monroe sat explaining what was going on to Maddie and Jack. It wasn't easy to believe, especially coming form the mouth of a talking dog with a Scottish brogue, but they listened intently.

"And so, that is why we must stay here. None of us have the power to stop what's going on out there right now, but June and her friends just might be able to," the pug finished.

There was silence as he let that thought sink in.

"You're a talking dog!" Jack yelled unexpectedly.

Maddie could only look at her husband with confusion, "But what can they do that we can't?"

Monroe just bowed his head, "I'm not sure, but I have faith in them."

In still another part of the basement, Ray-Ray sat with Ashley, holding her close, his head resting on hers. No matter what happened he would be sure to protect her, even if it cost him his life. Looking up, he saw his father pacing back and forth. This was difficult for them…it was absolutely unbelievable! Monsters, ghosts, demons, where did it end? But Michael trusted his daughter and he knew that she would come through.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You sure it was a good idea to send the orc back out there?" the man in black asked.

Jasmine just nodded, "Dartha can take care of herself. Right now, we need to get to the bottom of this and the best place to start is City Hall. There are more than just orcs, goblins, and trolls here. If the Drow are involved, than we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"What about the cops? You think we can trust them?" he continued.

The eldest Lee bowed her head, "I'm not sure, but we've at least got to try."

The rider turned his attention back to the road, "Right."

They rode on for ten more minutes, swerving past debris and wreckage, then skidded to a stop at a police barricade. The barricade cordoned off City Hall and the government building. Drawing his pistols, the rider slowly got off his hog, and pushed based the first of the barricades. Behind him, Jasmine drew her sword and followed closely.

All around them lay bodies of police officers. They had been slaughtered, but what could have taken on so many cops? Inspecting the bodies, the rider quickly stood up and spun, searching for something.

"What is it?" Jasmine asked approaching.

He didn't answer, he just kept looking around, his hands growing tighter around the pistols.

"David?" Jasmine asked snapping him out of his thoughts.

He noted the fear in her voice, "Take a look at the wounds and darts on the ground."

Jasmine knelt down in front of an officer hanging by his arm by the shattered window of his patrol car. His neck had been slashed, but there were also several darts hanging from his chest and around him. Lifting one up, Jasmine immediately dropped it and backed up scanning the rooftops.

"Drow?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," David responded, "Looks they made their way to the leader and then wiped out everyone that tried to stop them."

The pair debated getting back on the Harley and riding off to try and find help, but decided to investigate further. Moving further past the barricade, they found more and more police, stabbed, pin cushioned, and otherwise tortured to death. Their cars were tossed aside, blown up, smashed. It was like a zombie movie!

"Maybe we should get back to the bike," David suggested noticing a particularly gruesome kill.

Jasmine grabbed him by the hand and dragged him towards the building. They had already gone that far, they needed to finish exploring. Pushing their way inside, David couldn't help but feel that this was a decision they may not live to regret.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny fell back against the wall and slid to the ground. Throwing the dagger down, he buried his face in his hands. Four goblins sat across from him, dead or near death. The white haired teen looked up, tears streaming down his face. They had deserved it. It was a war! So then why did he feel like he had just done something completely unforgivable?

Then he remembered. All those old fighter pilot books he'd read as a kid, the rookies always talked about a feeling of guilt when you made your first kill, but it was something you got over. It was something you had to get over or else you'd be a liability to your team.

Wiping his eyes, Danny pulled himself up and looked down at the goblins. The last one had died during his little epiphany. There was nothing left to do now except find the others and set things right again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June ached as she walked along. Her left arm throbbed from the glass shards and she knew she'd have to do something about them soon. Looking up, the red clouds had already hidden the sun, but now it was darker than before. June knew she wouldn't be able to do much out there until morning. Scanning the area quickly, June found an apartment building that looked like it had withstood the initial attack from the magical creatures. It wasn't much, but it would give her shelter and time to rest.

Pushing through the main door, she found a few fortifications built up, but there was no one defending them. Where was everybody? June continued down the hall until she came upon the body of a fallen orc. He had a lot sticking out of him. A butcher knife, a skewer, and a couple of forks, but what had brought him down was a shotgun blast to the head. She rolled the orc over and found a good looking sword, which was odd considering orcs had terrible taste in weaponry, often going for a fearsome looking blade over an effective one.

She pulled the silver hilted blade free of its sheath and stared intently at it. The sword was beautiful and surprisingly light. Reaching down to pull the sheath free, a demonic howl rolled through the hallway causing the hair on June's neck to stand up.

"What the hell was that?" she asked freeing the sheath.

The Te Xuan Ze backed away, her new found sword drawn, reaching for the door. She finally pushed out back into the street and was about to turn and run when she was violently grabbed and thrown at a nearby car. Slamming into it full force, June spat blood as she sat on her hands and knees trying to clear her head.

Her attacker hissed as it approached, glistening blades reaching down for her throat. June didn't try to defend herself, but let the beast lift her only to slice its arm off with her sword. Dropping down to get a good look at the beast she just barely ducked under a swing of its remaining arm.

The beats prepared to attack again and June prepared to sever its other arm when the howl rolled out of the building once more. The beast went wide eyed, whimpering, then turned and ran off leaving June alone on that dark street staring at the building.

She decided she didn't want to wait around to see what could scare her attacker off and set out to find another building to spend the night in.

Unbeknownst to the Te Xuan Ze, her entire fight had been watched by five hooded beings on a nearby rooftop. Everything was going just as they had planned and soon the Te Xuan Ze would be theirs to control.

To Be Continued…


	8. Reactionary Tactics

Crossroads

Chapter 8: Reactionary Tactics

Day Two

As morning, or what passed for morning came along, June opened her eyes and stretched. She had had to spend the night in a bombed out building. Her room only had two walls still standing, but she was high enough off the street that she wouldn't be spotted by any troops passing by and low enough that the death crows still swarming the skies wouldn't bother with her. Her fire had burnt out sometime in the night and it left her cold, which was odd considering it was sometime in the summer.

June looked down at her left arm and smiled. At least she'd been able to pull out the glass and properly dress the wound. Now all she had to do was find the others and get the magic world back where it belonged. Not to mention stopping the ghost world from destroying the magical world.

"One step at a time June," she told herself. "First the magic world, then the ghost world, and then me and Danny are gonna have a nice long chat about truths."

Tightening the sheath around her waist and grabbing the first aid kit, June leapt from her room and skidded down the neighboring wall until she landed on the ground. Creeping to the edge of the alley, she peered up and down the street several times before making her move. June was in no hurry to repeat her little encounter with a certain one armed beastie.

Moving down the street little by little, she suddenly stopped and ducked into a nearby alley way. Something big was coming, but it wasn't magical in nature, at least she hoped it wasn't. She waited for five minutes when a tank suddenly pulled into view. It wasn't just one, it was an entire armored division and that wasn't all. About fifty soldiers marched by, inspecting the street and anything that caught their eye.

"They sent in the army?" June asked from her hiding spot, "Why would they do that? It's not like this has spread any further than the city."

That was when it hit her like a ton of bricks, what if the creatures in her city were only the first wave? She'd been asleep for a good six hours and in that time any number of creatures could have come over into the human world. And why should they be satisfied with Orchid Bay alone when there's an entire world that they could conquer?

"Way to go June, while you were sleeping the world just fell into hell!" she berated herself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny shook himself off as he looked around. He'd made shelter in a garage after his night out facing goblins. Now he was dirty and covered in various unidentifiable substances. Looking out the window, Danny suddenly ducked down when a humvee with five soldiers pulled up. They were each dressed in tactical gear and each carrying M-4 machine guns. The patch on their left arms revealed them to be Army 88th division.

"Oh great," Danny muttered.

What was he supposed to do now? Dealing with ghosts was one thing, he was getting used to dispatching magical creatures, but these guys were human.

Suddenly, the door flew open and there they stood, rifles at the ready as they entered. The one with sergeant stripes entered first, sending two of his men to the right and the other two to the left. The teams broke up and spread out through the garage.

"Hey Sarge, what the hell are we doin' here anyway?" one of the men asked.

The sergeant swept around a car, ready to blast anything he saw, "Look Perkins, we were all briefed about what we're up against. We're looking for anything of fantastic or supernatural origin and are ordered to eliminate any hostile forces."

Perkins looked to his partner, "Fantastic or supernatural? What the hell's that?"

Wallace stepped up to the office and motioned for Perkins, "It means ghosts and monsters genius."

Wallace motioned to three with his fingers, then pulled the door open as Perkins scanned for any threat. The pair stepped through the portal and began searching the small nooks and crannies, just as they had been ordered to do.

On the other side of the garage, Johns and Kolins were searching the car pits. They had just finished the first one and were on their way to the second one…the one Danny was hiding in. Phasing through the wall of the pit just as the soldiers appeared on either side, Danny floated up to the top and watched them in their search.

He suddenly felt a very evil urge to play with these guys a little, the only problem was, he'd been shot at by lasers, ecto-rays, energo-swords, and the rest, but he'd never been shot at with real bullets. Would they pass through him like everything else? Only one way to be sure!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila stirred in her makeshift bed. There was a strange new scent in the air as she forced her eyes to open. It smelled like oil…gun oil to be precise. The Bigfoot stumbled to her feet as she tried to understand what it was she was smelling. There was more than gun oil, there was also the smell of men, and diesel. Suddenly she was hearing things. Footsteps out in the hall! And there was another strange scent, one she couldn't place.

The trio awoke just as the rear wall exploded filling the room with smoke and debris. Lila couldn't get her bearings when she was violently grabbed from behind and forced out through hole into the open street. Suddenly a pair of metal cuffs were clamped around her wrists as she was forced to the ground. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of battle erupting from within the building as her friends fought to escape.

Their attackers were dressed all in black, with flak jackets, masks, and helmets. Each was armed differently, but most carried an MP-5 submachine gun. The most distinguishing marking on the men were the yellow letters that spelled out SWAT.

As the Bigfoot eyed their attackers, Chris was thrown to the ground next to her. His eyes blazed with anger and hatred as the officers disappeared once more into the cloud of smoke.

"You okay?" he asked, looking over at her.

She just nodded as the firecaster rolled onto his stomach. The metal cuffs around his wrists began to glow and then turned bright red until finally Chris pulled them apart and stood up.

Just as he was about to free Lila a voice rang out, "How the hell'd you get loose?"

Chris didn't have time to think, leaping at the officer and slamming him to the ground. In a flash his hands were ablaze revealing his true nature to the SWAT team.

"Christ! The kid's one of 'em!" one of the men yelled leveling his MP-5 at the teen.

Chris was fast it was true, but even he couldn't outrun a bullet. Clenching his fists tight, he charged forward, hoping to defeat the officer before he could pull the trigger. Instead an arrow flew past him and pierced the barrel of the gun and knocked the officer to the ground. He shuddered and skittered back as Aya stepped out of the shadows of the building and trained another arrow on the officer.

"We've done nothing to you or your men, why attack us?" she demanded.

Around her the remaining SWAT members pulled their guns on her. The trio were now completely surrounded and totally outgunned.

"Drop the weapon lady!" one of the men yelled revealing a set of sergeant's stripes on his arm. "I'm not gonna ask twice!"

Chris was about to leap forward when a powerful hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down, "Don't," Lila said in a stern tone.

He looked at her, completely stunned at the force in her voice. She'd never spoken to him like that before, but she was right. It was better to let themselves be taken in so they could find out what was happening. Slowly, the firecaster raised his hands above his head, surrendering.

The night elf couldn't believe what she was seeing, but there was no other choice. She carefully let the bow and arrow fall to the ground, then unclipped the belt at her waist letting the quiver fall as well.

The SWAT team closed in on them and slapped handcuffs on the trio, then hoisted them to their feet and dragged them to the SWAT van where they were chained to their seats. Aya stared at the officer chaining her down and smiled when he started to tremble. Just because she was surrendering didn't mean she would allow these men to think her frail and beaten.

"Teacher I…" Chris started to say as the van began moving.

"Save it," she responded angrily.

Across from the pair Lila watched solemnly as the night elf scolded her student for his actions.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June continued through the city's back alleys, not quite sure where she was headed. She needed to find Danny and Largo and the others, but she had no idea where to begin her search. And now that the Marines were moving in things were sure to get worse, if they hadn't already gone that way that is. In the back of her mind, June prayed that her family was safe.

With that thought firmly in her mind, she stepped out into the main street exposing herself to whatever was out there, then dashed out just as tank fire opened up behind her.

The Te Xuan Ze ducked as the blast hit the gargantuan beast behind her. It roared as blast after blast collided with its underbelly. The creature was a Torellian Swamp Beast and it reeked! The stench was unbearable, but not as bad as its breath. June leapt back as the violet scaled beast brought a clawed fist down right in front of her. Around her, the foot soldiers came forward and opened fire. Their M-16s only served to enrage the beast even more, but this time it took in a deep breath and then exhaled releasing a green noxious gas.

Several of the soldiers passed out from the powerful odor, while others could only watch as their body armor and weapons corroded and crumbled away. This was going to get worse before it got better!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody paced back and forth as Ray-Ray and Monroe explained to everyone exactly what was happening. It basically came down to hell on earth as the forces of three worlds battled for control of Earth. It just happened to be taking place in California…

"And so that leaves us with one option," Monroe stated, "Let June and the others do their thing."

The parents didn't want to accept that their children were wrapped in something so important, especially not the Irwins. They still couldn't quite grasp the fact that their daughter's boyfriend was the last remaining member of his kind and able to shoot flames from his fingertips at will.

Now it was Maddie's turn, "And while the kids take care of their end, we'll try to help whoever we can around here. This'll be our makeshift triage unit, if there're no objections?"

The adults looked at one another and then nodded in nervous agreement. This was their world too and they had to defend it the same as anyone else.

Behind the adults, Jazz stood with Jody, Ray-Ray, and Ashley. The quartet had decided to fulfill their own duties. While their parents were taking care of the wounded and lost, they would try to clear the surrounding blocks of any baddies so that when reinforcements arrived, if they arrived, there wouldn't be any nasty surprises waiting for them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny rubbed his head nursing a big bruise as the troops lead him back to their command outpost. His plan hadn't worked out quite so well and instead wound up with him in custody. What he hadn't counted on, however, was the warm welcome he would receive from the commanders.

"Welcome Mr. Fenton," the grey haired man said as he stood. He was a full-bird colonel and there were several large medals hanging from his uniform. "I'm sorry if my men were rough with you, but the world as it is doesn't leave room for bad judgment calls."

Looking around the room he saw another high ranking officer, this one a Navy Captain. To the other side stood a Marine Lieutenant. The two officers scanned the teen from top to bottom and then smiled. That was what made Danny extremely uncomfortable, if a Marine was smiling it couldn't be a good thing.

"Uh, do you mind me asking just what I'm doing here?" he asked nervously.

"Of course son," the Lieutenant answered, "You're here to help us win the war."

Danny gulped at that, "Seriously?"

The guards at the entrance to the room closed the doors and there was a click signaling that it was locked from the outside. That wouldn't stop Danny if he went ghost but right now he was so beat up and tired he wasn't sure if he had the energy to try and escape.

"In return for your service, you'll receive an official pardon for all wrong doings, perceived or otherwise, and all you have to do is fight for us," the Captain explained as the old war dogs stepped up to surround him.

Now he was quaking in the chair…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June stood triumphantly over the Torellian Swamp Beast and looked around as the Marines clapped and cheered for her. It was kind of nice to have someone that appreciated what you did. What she wasn't expecting was the men to lift her into the air and walk her towards the lead tank as a grizzled Gunnery Sergeant stepped out.

"That was damn fine work young lady! Damn fine!" he growled as he spoke the compliment.

She blushed as she responded, "Thank you sir."

"Call me Gunny, everyone else does," he explained leaping out and shaking her hand.

"My name's June," she told him.

"Well June, I think you could lend a major hand in helping us fight back," Gunny said putting an arm around her shoulders and walking her past his tank and down the street.

The Te Xuan Ze was nervous about that prospect, but at the same time, until she was able to find the others, having an entire battalion of Marines as back up was certainly a comforting thought.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Above the Te Xuan Ze and her new allies, Largo sneered. His plans had just taken a bad turn, but maybe he could still use the firecaster. His rebellious attitude would make him invaluable if he had the right persuasion.

Turning and leaping to the next building, the demon continued plotting. He couldn't let this stop his plans, this was just a slight glitch…

To Be Continued…

So, now what have they gotten themselves into? Only time and the next chapter will tell! Be here next time as we leap one week into the future to see what the military has in store for our secret weapons…


	9. The Way We Are

Crossroads

Chapter 9: The Way We Are

Week 2, Day 9

The Marine unit waited and watched as the goblin patrol moved up the street, being careful not to make a sound until the creatures were in position. Suddenly, the Marines leapt up from under their covers and opened fire tearing the goblins to pieces. As they laid there looking up in horror at the ambush they had just stumbled into, a familiar Asian teen walked up holding a purple gem in her right hand. She was dressed in urban fatigues with a black tank top and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. As she waved the stone in the air, it began to glow and suddenly the fallen goblins disappeared leaving nothing but piles of powder.

"That makes three whole units today," Private Morrison said happily as he walked up to June.

He had a thick Scottish accent that reminded her of Monroe and brought a smile to her face, "Yeah, but there's still plenty more where they came from."

The marines knew she was right, but they still wanted to revel in the small victory and who was she to stop them. Since joining up with the battalion they had taken out a sizable force of goblins, an entire battalion of orcs, and three dozen trolls (which had proven to be especially difficult to fight). They were making ten times as much progress as June would have on her own.

Gunny stepped up behind the pair, clamping a hand on June's shoulder, "Great job little lady, but it looks like we're being called back to base for right now."

June turned to face the grizzled gunnery sergeant. His dirty fatigues hung heavily on the thirty-five year old and he needed a shave really bad, but June had grown to care for him during their short time together. He had taught her a lot about organized tactics when fighting with a unit, things that Monroe had never thought to teach her, but she had no idea what was awaiting her back at base. It would be a shock, but also a welcome surprise.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny shifted uncomfortably in his new uniform. It was form fitting and reminded him of something he'd seen in an X-Men comic. Oh well, he thought to himself, at least it was more armored than his original design. It was heat and cold resistant, to an extent, and would offer extra support when it came to close combat. It was as close to body armor as he could get.

As he stood there in formation with his unit awaiting the return of the extremely successful Marine tank battalion, he kept thinking of June and the last thing they'd said to each other. Something to the extent of we have a lot of talking to do about trust. He wanted to see her so badly it hurt, but right now he had to help these guys in their fight. Besides June could take care of herself, right?

That thought stuck in his mind as the tanks entered the camp and the troops disembarked. An odd looking soldier looked directly at him and then quickly approached. The soldier was female and wore a slight smirk, then Danny suddenly realized who he was looking at.

"June!" he yelled happily running up to meet her.

The couple slammed into each other, pulling one another close, kissing each other between tight embraces. They had been so worried about ever getting the chance to see each other and finally getting to, that all thoughts of their argument had been forgotten, at least for the moment.

Pvt. Morrison and Gunny stepped up to the pair and laughed. They hadn't realized June could be so lovey with the way she fought. The teens parted and looked back at the marines.

"This must be the lovable dunderhead you were telling us about June," Gunny spouted nonchalantly.

June blushed looking at Danny, then back at her CO, "Yeah this is him. Danny Fenton, this is Gunnery Sergeant Jack Kirby and Private Grant Morrison from my unit."

Danny didn't know whether to salute or shake hands, but it didn't seem to matter as a loud voice yelled out, "ATTENTION!"

The marines, Danny, and June stood up straight and tall, their arms at their sides as the officers that inducted Danny stepped up to them.

"Gunny," the Lieutenant said, "Glad you made it back in one piece soldier."

"Thank you sir," the grizzled man responded, surprising June that he could be so formal.

"You'll have to excuse us marines," the Colonel said, "but we need to speak to these fine young recruits."

Gunny and Morrison saluted as the trio of officers walked back to their office with the teens in tow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"My Lord!" a purple stink demon yelled running into his master's hall.

The Black and Red god was not pleased as the demon found out when he was engulfed in flames while being eaten by gnats. Another stink demon ran in, just two steps behind his partner and skidded to a stop. Looking down at what was once his friend, he stuttered and backed away.

"WHAT?!" Loki yelled slamming his fists down on either side of his throne, "Why do you idiots insist upon interrupting my me time?"

The demon fell to his knees, eyes to the ground, mumbling something about not torturing him.

"Speak up wretch or I'm going to do something even worse to you," Loki explained staring down at the little demon.

"M-m-my Lord, w-w-we've…" he sputtered trying to get the words out.

Looking up, he saw Loki getting angrier, "SPIT IT OUT!"

"We've effectively captured the city!" he finally yelled, praying it was enough to appease his master.

Loki was dumbfounded, "Captured the city? Really? You honestly think that we've "captured the city" when there are still humans here, fighting back? You little worm! Don't let me see you again until you've wiped out the humans and have the skull of the Te Xuan Ze for me!"

The stink demon could feel his bowels getting ready to release as Loki towered up over him. He knew it, this was the end…

"On second thought, I'll just do it myself!" the god yelled bringing one of his massive hands over the demon. A blast of lightning erupted from the hand and turned the demon into a smoldering pile of ashes, "That'll teach you to interrupt my soaps…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila awoke to the sounds of the doors opening and something being dragged back in. Peering out through the bars of her cell, she saw a familiar scarred body leaving a trail of blood as the guards dragged him along. How had they gotten themselves into this mess? At least Aya had managed to escape, but how long would it be till she was able to free them?

One of the men slammed his nightstick against the bars sending the Bigfoot reeling back, baring her teeth, "You're a feisty one aren't you fuzzball? Well, we'll soon cure you of that!"

The men laughed as they shut the main door enveloping the pair in darkness once more. The teenage Bigfoot's ears perked up trying to discern if her firecasting partner was still alive. There was a heavy breath then nothing, then another heavy breath, and then nothing again.

"Chris?" Lila said softly.

A pair of red blazing eyes suddenly appeared in the cell across from hers'. He was still alive and it looked like he had finally come up with a plan for how to get out of there.

"You okay?" she asked not sure what he would say to that.

"I'm in paradise…" he moaned pulling himself up.

Lila laughed a little. It was full of pity and pain, but it was a laugh none the less. They had been in there for a little over two days and their captors had used that time to work them over as hard as they possibly could.

"Remind me to take a vacation when all of this is over with," he called over to her as a small light appeared.

He was focusing all of his energy through his right index finger to burn like a blowtorch. Lila wondered why he hadn't just blown the door off its hinges, but she figured it had something to do with him only having a limited amount of energy. It was probably taking everything he had just to burn through the cell door's lock. Finally there was a snap and a click followed by a creak as the door opened and his shadowy form fell towards Lila's cell. Reacting as fast as she could, the Bigfoot caught him and guided him to the ground. He was exhausted, they both were, but it was almost over. All they had to do was get to the radio room, which they had finally found during there journey to the "interrogation rooms".

"Come on soldier, on your feet!" Lila said sternly into his ear forcing him back up. "You've just gotta get me out and then I'll take care of the rest."

He groggily saluted and grabbed the bars, beginning to burn through her locks. Sweat poured from his brow as he worked faster and faster when, just as he broke through her lock, the alarm suddenly went off. They both looked up in surprise as the ear-splitting sound echoed through the compound.

Without time to think, the pair bolted through the door and out into the main hall of the underground complex. Once back in the light they came face to face with several of the men that had captured them. Their golden armor glinting from the overhead lights, their shock sticks sparking as they approached.

"You thought you were gonna get away that easily?" one of the men asked about to drive his shock stick into Chris' stomach.

Before the man could act, a screeching sound tore through the air, and a small wooden arrow went through his hand pulling the rest of his body with it. The men all looked up the hall to see a very angry night elf and a squad of SWAT officers, their guns all trained dead center on the men.

"I think this is the part where you surrender," Lila said mockingly.

The armored men looked at one another, back at the SWAT team, and then dropped their weapons and put their hands over their heads. They knew when they were beaten.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jasmine and David stood around a map of the city, pointing to certain spots, and marking them with either a red, blue, or yellow thumbtack for which side controlled it. It wasn't surprising that the map was mostly dominated by red and blue tacks, indicating that the ghost world and magical armies had control. A sudden sound at the window sent them reaching for weapons as the blue orc girl stepped in. Her white hair was stained red and she looked like she could use about a month's worth of sleep.

"Dartha, how's it look out there?" Jasmine asked helping her friend slide down to the floor.

"Not good," the orc girl huffed, "the beach is completely overrun by the fish demons, the forests are teeming with goblins, trolls, and who knows what else, and the streets are being patrolled by orcs, ogres, and even meaner trolls. And that's just the magical creatures! The ghosts are wiping out block after block over on the west side. They just phase into a building, kill everything as they move up through the floors, and then move on to the next building with any new recruits they were able to make."

David stood in the corner watching them talk. His grizzled face needed sleep, he'd been awake for nearly 60 hours and he felt sluggish. Peering out the window he saw a pack of goblins come face to face with patrol of orcs. Normally the creatures would just let bygones be bygones, but now that they believed the city was theirs, it was a matter of territory and who owned what. An evil smile crossed his lips as he watched the more powerful orcs shred the goblins, only to be unexpectedly squished by a giant's foot as it stumbled over the buildings to see what all the commotion had been.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll do our work for us," he mused sliding to the ground, curling up in ball, and finally falling asleep.

Dartha looked hard at the man in black then back at Jasmine, "Are you sure he's trustworthy?"

The former Te Xuan Ze laughed, "You know, that's the exact same thing he asked me about you?"

The orc girl couldn't help but express that she didn't trust him. There was a lot not to trust at that time, they were in the middle of a war! But if they couldn't trust each other, then how could they do any good?

"I don't like his attitude, even if his skill does speak for itself," Dartha explained.

"Maybe so, but I'd rather have him with us than against us," Jasmine replied, "It never hurts to have a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing with you when you're facing down demons and other creatures of the night."

Dartha looked back at David, "I find it hard to believe he's of the infamous bloodline, but you're right, I'd much rather he were on our side."

The girls both looked down at the sleeping form of the blonde man. There was more to him than Jasmine was saying, but Dartha knew better than to press her at that moment.

"Have you found any sign of my grandchildren?" the eldest Lee asked.

The orc girl pointed to several areas on the map, "Juniper and Danny have joined up with a Marine regiment that is slowly taking back a small section of the city, but its taking longer than they thought. Humans just don't understand how to fight, they always have to analyze everything…uh, except you of course!"

Jasmine just laughed. At least June was okay and it was relieving knowing that the Halfa was there with her along with a bunch of Marines. She wasn't alone and that was the important thing.

"Ray-Ray and the rest of your family have set up a small relief station out of your son's home. They've been extremely careful about going out to search for wounded so as not to draw attention to themselves, but I'm sure they're getting to the full point," Dartha continued. "I'd say the rest of your family are taking this whole situation pretty well."

Jasmine nodded her head as she circled the home of her son and his makeshift hospice, "…what about Chris?"

Dartha bowed her head, "I'm having a hard time finding any information on his whereabouts. Some reports say that a firecaster was killed sometime in the past few days, others say that he was captured by a group of armored thugs, and another says that he's patrolling the streets at night, blowing up entire clans by himself."

This worried Jasmine to no end. Chris needed to have someone there by his side, especially at that time. Firecasters thrived on stress and conflict, but this might be the straw that broke the camel's back. To be completely honest, Jasmine was afraid her grandson had gone insane and was actively seeking out enemies to kill.

"But here's what I think," Darth chimed in snapping Jasmine from her thoughts, "when he went missing he was with a Bigfoot and someone else. The mystery person was extremely powerful and had a penchant for using hand crafted arrows. Do you have any idea who that could be?"

A smile suddenly cross the old Lee's face as she looked up happily, "Ayatheria! She made it through! And if she's with Chris then there's nothing to worry about. Chris and Lila are in the best of hands."

"That's good to hear," the orc girl said, "Do you think maybe we should join up with them and form our own unit? Maybe do our own thing, away from the other humans?"

Jasmine was silent. She didn't know what the best thing to do was. Her first instinct was to gather her family together, lock them in the basement of her house and activate as many protection spells as she possibly could, but by all accounts, they were all doing fine.

"For now we let them be," she decided, "But we keep an eye out for them, especially my son's aid station. If they get overrun, there's no way they'll survive."

Dartha put a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't let that happen."

The girls smiled grimly looking back down at the map. Everyday the human race was pushed back even further by this war.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Yes sir, I do feel that it would be in our country's best interest if you were to activate Team Delta and the Rangers. In this kind of intense block by block fighting, those boys have the best training and experience. Yes sir, I understand that there are still civilians lost out there and we're doing everything in our power to get them out safely. Yes, we've been able to find some people who know how to deal with this particular kind of threat. No sir, these kids are the real deal, not a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons players. Alright sir, I'll keep you informed. Thank you sir," Colonel Matheson said as he placed the phone down on the receiver.

Lieutenant Jacobs and Captain Dwyer looked at their superior officer with expectant eyes.

"We've got Rangers and Delta en-route, they should be here in a day or so," the Colonel explained.

"Well that's great, but what about the rest?" Capt. Dwyer asked impatiently.

"Operation Gift Horse is in effect. We're to authorize the use of the girl and her boyfriend and as soon as the war is over they'll be placed under arrest and brought in for testing," Col. Matheson answered.

Lt. Jacobs smiled as he shifted in his chair, "Then everything is going according to plan…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody pulled another blanket over the pair of twins and then turned off the light and shut the door. She'd finally gotten all of the kids to bed and now it was time for her to get some sleep. As the blonde pulled off her shoes, her pendant fell out of her shirt and hung, glinting in the moonlight. She hadn't thought about Chris for a while, things had been too hectic to let her mind drift. Now, however, she would give anything just to have him by her side. To hear his voice, to see his gentle stare, and feel his strong embrace. She just hoped that wherever her man was, that he was safe.

In the bed next to hers, Jazz Fenton stared up at the ceiling. She was a scientist and a fighter, not a doctor or nurse. She belonged out on the battlefield with her brother, but there she was, stuck doing the stereotypical woman's work. And yet, somewhere in her heart, she also knew that what she was doing was necessary and that if anything happened here while she was off playing hero, it would kill her. Looking out through the cracked window in the room she shared with Jody and Ashley, she watched the moon shine through the thick red clouds.

Downstairs the wounded continued to cry out. One man had been badly burned when his house exploded from a burst of dragon-fire, while another had watched his family disappear in a swarm of people, panic, and goblins. He was strapped down to his bed because everyone was afraid he might try to kill himself. The young witch Ashley, made her way to each bed, using healing spell after healing spell to try to help these people, but it wasn't enough. She didn't the strength to heal them all…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the lower east side, Aya watched her student resting with Lila at his side. She had berated him for surrendering to the men they now work with. The night elf hadn't wanted to admit that her student had come into his own and grown since their last meeting. He had developed his powers on his own with no one to teach him, he'd discovered the mystery behind his parent's murder, he'd even faced the Seven Deadly Sins and come out on top. She didn't want to admit it, but Chris was just as impressive as his father, maybe even more so.

Behind her, the squad changed shifts. The SWAT team had met up with a squad of Army grunts that had gotten separated from their battalion and they now all worked together as one team. The Army boys were lead by one Captain Frank Miller and his second in command Sergeant James Lee. The others were Privates Ed McGuinness, Jeph Loeb, and John Ostrander. They weren't much, they' just barely survived an encounter with a dragon and her brood. If not for an extremely lucky happenstance, they would have all been killed.

The night elf listened intently as all of the men spoke of her and the teens. The humans had never seen or encountered anything like them in all their lives. Most were thrilled and amazed to be working with them, but their were some that weren't too keen on the idea. Aya was sure to note which of the men would side with her and which wouldn't in case it came down to that, but she knew it wouldn't. These men were more dedicated to getting their home back than to let xenophobia take over.

Aya walked back over to Chris' side and placed a hand on Lila's shoulder. The boy was fine, he just needed time to rest. And they had managed to topple a HAM offshoot before it was able to become a major threat. That was the last thing they needed, another front to fight on…

To Be Continued…

So, we're a week into the war and the city is officially embroiled in block by block fighting. Our heroes are all separated, there's tension brewing between certain members, and there's more than meets the eye with the government, but isn't there always? Next time we take another leap into the future to see how our heroes have fared. Who will live? Who will die? Will anyone live to see the end of this war? Only time will tell!

Quick note, comic book fans will recognize the names of the soldiers I'm using. Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness, John Ostrander, Grant Morrison, Jack "The King" Kirby, and a couple others. That's just a tribute to my favorites in the biz and I thought it would be a cool idea to use them.


	10. Time Flies

Crossroads

Chapter 10

Week 4, Day 24

Chris leaned against the wall of that dark alley taking deep breaths and straining his eye. Blood poured from an open wound on his shoulder and his body was covered in ash and soot. His left eye was caked over and black. His fatigues were bloody and torn and as he looked back up the alley to confirm he was alone, the firecaster slumped to the ground. He was exhausted, alone, and very afraid. If he didn't get inside someplace very secure, very fast he wasn't going to make it through the night.

They had thought that the orcs were the worst of their enemies but now, a month into the war, a new foe had reared its ugly head. Worse than the wraiths, faster than the goblins, and smarter than everything but the drow, the vampires had made short work of anyone and everyone that got in their way. At night, they ruled the city and anyone caught out on their own would be lucky to see another sunrise.

The vampires were vicious and an unseen threat. June and Chris had thought that the creatures would have steered clear of open warfare due to their weakness to sunlight, but they hadn't been so lucky. The bloodsuckers seemed to thrive on the destruction and had even gained some new abilities because of their consumption of various races' blood. The most dangerous had been those that had consumed orc and giant blood. They grew in size, strength, and power, leaving everyone else with a severe disadvantage. Orcs were just as afraid of the night as the humans were.

A shrill cry ran through the streets bringing Chris back to consciousness. The explosion had sent him flying in a separate direction from his unit and now he was injured and alone. The vampires could track him by his blood alone, it was an extremely unique scent and if they got a hold of him…he shuddered at that. The firecaster pulled himself up and ran. He didn't know where he was or where he was going, but he wasn't about to just give them an easy meal.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Captain Miller cringed as the shard of metal was yanked from his leg leaving a spurting wound. He smiled when the medic explained that it had missed the artery, but it faded fast when he looked over to see that three of the SWAT officers he'd been working with for the past two weeks hadn't made it. They had bought it in the explosion…maybe they were the lucky ones.

"Any word on Fields?" the old soldier asked his medic.

The blonde man looked up, "Sorry sir, nobody's heard anything about him, but I'm sure he's fine. That kid's got more fire in him than the entire army."

Miller laughed, there was truth in that statement. Ever since he'd met up with Chris Fields, the teenager had just surprised him time and time again. The first time the boy used his powers to bring down that flock of death crows, Miller knew he'd been blessed to have the boy at his side. The other men in the unit had also taken a liking to him, which was a blessing in disguise when they were told that he'd be a permanent member until the war was over.

"Cap'n Miller?" Private McGuinness asked stepping up to his CO.

"What's up Ed?" Miller responded.

"Any news?" the private asked.

Miller just shook his head. It was a five man recon team that had walked right into an ambush. Miller and Fields were the only survivors…although until Fields was found, Miller was technically the only survivor.

"Don't worry Ed, the kid's strong, he'll be back," Miller explained trying to sound more sure than he was.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June sat on top of the tank in the field within the barricades. She was still at the main headquarters, occasionally venturing out on patrol with Gunny Kirby and Pvt. Morrison, but most of the time she found that her "superiors" wanted her on base to help in the event of a major assault. Of course she argued that if she was out on patrol she'd have a better chance of stopping an assault before it got to base, but they ignored her logic.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice called from behind.

June turned to find Lila holding two steaming cups of coffee. The Bigfoot hopped up next to her and passed her a cup.

"I'm worried," June told her.

"Like that isn't obvious," the brunette joked.

June didn't laugh, "This whole war is really scaring me…more than it usually does. Danny's been acting differently, I still haven't had any kind of real contact with my family, Chris is isolating himself, and what about us?"

Lila looked down into her cup, "What about us?"

"What if we end up feeling like this all the time? I don't want to fight. I don't want to kill, but more and more I'm finding that if I don't I'm going to die," the Te Xuan Ze explained.

"Have you actually killed anyone?" the Bigfoot asked.

"No, but what's to stop me if I feel I need to? I've been lucky enough…luck's not the right word, but I don't know what is, I've been lucky enough to have my unit with me and Gunny or Grant take care of it, but…" she tried to keep going.

"I understand," Lila told her, "it's not easy and no one expects it to be, especially for you. You've spent the better part of your life trying to protect the magical creatures in this world and now you're being forced to choose between fighting them and possibly having to kill them or letting them kill innocent people for no reason. I don't envy you at all June. Maybe it just comes easier for me and the others, maybe we don't see the world the way you do, but then what does that say about us?"

"I don't know Lila," June said sipping her coffee, "I just don't know…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The bespectacled teen forced the metal door open and then slammed it shut. He had decided to hide out in an industrial freezer in a local butcher shop, but he'd been sure to cut the power first. Looking around at the supplies he'd grabbed before going in, he decided now was the time and walked back to the door, dropping to a knee. He pointed his index finger at the edge of the door and brought out a small blue flame. Carefully he welded the door shut and then walked over to the racks of meat sitting all around him. At least he wouldn't starve.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The first three went through the door, being sure not to make a sound. The scent went in there and then suddenly stopped. Were they sure that their prey had gone in there? There was no blood, but that of the beef, but that scent, that spicy scent had led them right to that spot. Where was the boy? The leader wouldn't be pleased if they didn't bring him back. They wouldn't turn him of course, but they could gain some new abilities if they each took turns draining his life essence.

"Vhere is he?" the first asked.

The second, a female named English, smirked at his accent, "e's in 'ere, I'm sure 'e is."

"Will the two of you shut the hell up?! You're gonna spoil my appetite," the third, aptly named US scolded them.

The trio made their way through the butcher shop and into the back room where the freezer was. Nothing seemed out of place until one of them noticed the freezer was unplugged and shut down. German went to the door and started sniffing…there it was! He was there! Inside the freezer! As German went for the handle he suddenly found it wouldn't budge. It would turn, but that was it, he couldn't open the door.

"Ze boy is here!" German yelled.

The others' eyes glowed with anticipation as they bared their fangs. They were going to have their meal yet!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris heard the pounding, saw the handle moving. He was trapped and they knew right where he was! The firecaster's heart started pounding, he started to shiver, and his mind raced. He was completely isolated and he'd also decided to hide himself in a tiny box. The pounding got harder and harder, it echoed in the metal box, throbbing in his head, and suddenly…it stopped. Where was it? What had happened? It was a setup, it had to be…but if so then what? He wasn't about to open the door just to look out, but what if it was sun up? He couldn't afford to wait around…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Month 2, Week 5, Day 30

Personal Journal of Te Xuan Ze, Juniper Lee…

_It's been six days since my brother disappeared. His unit was ambushed by a group of vampires in which only Capt. Miller survived…but I hope a pray that Chris is still out there somewhere. _

_The city is now all but completely deserted except for us and two refugee camps, one on the north end and the other on the south. My parents run the south camp along with my little brother and our friends. I haven't had the chance to talk to them in over a week and I'm starting to get more worried. The camp only has two people that know anything about fighting magic, but it does have Danny's parents…although his father leaves a lot to question if you ask me. _

_The orcs rule the streets during the day, the vampires during the night, and then the ghosts come in. They haven't made many assaults against human encampments, more interested in wiping out the magical creatures they come across. When they first crossed over into the magical world I was amazed at how quickly they spread. The magical world… I can't even imagine how it looks now. Capital City is probably gone. If the magical world has fallen then all of us are in a lot of trouble._

_We know for a fact that Loki is leading the magical armies, but what I don't understand is why? He's the god of mischief, why wouldn't they turn to Thor or Odin for that matter? Then again, not all of the magical creatures are following Loki, it seems to only be the chaotic races. The elves have been more isolated in this world than any other race I've ever seen. They've taken the southeast corridor making it a nearly impenetrable fortress. The skyscrapers and other buildings look a lot like a scene from Lord of the Rings._

_The dwarves, on the other hand, have taken the industrial district, some surprise there. The factories and plants haven't stopped working since the invasion first occurred, but the funny thing is that they're burning cleaner than ever before. Maybe when this is over, humanity will have learned something._

_The orcs rule the streets. I've said that at least a dozen times now, but it must be driven home. The rule is no one travels alone, not even if separated from their unit. Find a place to hide out and stay there until back up gets there. Unfortunately not many men listen. We recently found a platoon of troops slaughtered. There were two men missing, but when we checked all the safe houses that we'd set up, they were nowhere to be found. Several days later Danny and I found them crucified and disemboweled as a warning that this was orc territory._

_My thoughts are drifting back to my brother. While I've had the chance to talk with the family, he's been staying isolated. Why doesn't he want to talk to Jody? Maybe he's fallen into the soldier mindset or maybe he's afraid he may have changed too much, but whatever his reasons, I've been covering for him. Whenever Jody asked to speak to him I've told her he was on patrol. I hate lying to her, but it's better than telling her he doesn't want to talk to her. Wherever he is I just hope he's safe…_

_Juniper Lee_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Month 2, Week 7, Day 53

Jody hung the last of the sheets and then slumped down in her chair. It had been a rough week. June's unit had lost three more men, but the good news was that Chris had been found. The blonde teen bowed her head fighting back the tears again. He'd been found, half dead, nearly starved, and covered in injuries. He was very lucky to be alive. She'd had a chance to finally talk to him and he sounded good…at least as good as someone in his condition could sound.

Chris told her he'd be stopping by for a visit as soon as he could, but that it would be a few more weeks. She didn't care how long it took as long as she got to see him again. How would he look? Would his hair have changed? What about his injuries? She hoped she'd be able to hug him and love him the way she used to. Would he still love her? Would he be changed forever? She remembered the change in his attitude after his showdown with Kale, but would he be better or worse now?

It didn't matter as long as he still loved her. She would never stop loving him until the day she died.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dartha looked out over the city. The goblins were getting riled up below her. Some kind of strange ritual they had. Painted in the blood of their enemies and wearing the bones of their fallen, they all danced around a boiling cauldron. They made her more uncomfortable than most of the other creatures in the magical world. Not as bad as the trolls, but still pretty bad, all things considered. She carefully slid down the side of her building and slipped into the shadowy alleyway.

The orc girl continued to watch the ceremony. The eldest shaman now stepped up to speak to his tribe. Goblins followed the most powerful shaman from their tribes, treating him or her as a god. That also gave them an interesting weakness, kill the shaman and watch them descend into chaos. The blue orc girl slid the big sword from her shoulder and closed her eyes. She began chanting, pumping herself up, and just as the shaman raised his hand high above his head, Dartha ripped open her eyes and charged headlong out of the alley screaming at the top of her lungs and swinging her blade wildly.

The shaman looked up in frozen horror as the orc brought her sword down in a diagonal arc slicing from shoulder to hip as she landed before the goblin. The tribe gasped in astonishment as seconds ticked by and the shaman split along the cut, falling in two pieces.

"Where is your god now?!" Dartha roared peering over her shoulder at the tribe.

Some were crying, others trying to find their footing, while others still had already started running. A smile crossed her lips revealing her tusks as she spun and leapt into the air, landing amidst the panicking goblins. Most screamed and turned tail, but several raised their weapons, poorly made swords and shields, bone clubs, or whatever they could get their hands on.

"Is this really how you want to waste your life?" Dartha taunted them, spinning the sword in her hand.

The goblins looked at each other, then back at her, shuddered and charged…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila looked in at Chris and waved. He was getting checkout by the doctors again. It wasn't because of his injuries, they were healing right up, instead it was because they wanted to know more about his abilities. For weeks now the scientists and doctors had been trying to get them to talk about their powers and more, like giving blood samples, skin cultures, and other intrusive tests. Chris was finally out of excuses and was now trapped in a room with the group of researchers.

"When you "firecast", how does it feel? Where does the fire come from?" the bespectacled woman asked.

Chris cocked an eyebrow, "Where does it come from? I don't know, I never really thought about it before. Why is that important?"

"We just want to know more about you son," an older gentleman said stepping up to reveal himself.

He was dressed in a business suit, everyone else was in lab coats. That set Chris' alarms off immediately.

"You want to know more about me, huh?" he asked, "You don't care, you just want to know how you can do it for yourself!"

He stood up and then immediately grabbed the stool he was sitting on for balance. His head suddenly went fuzzy and his eyes started to blur.

The female researcher dropped her charts and ran to help Chris to the ground as he wobbled back and forth, "Your injuries are far too severe for you to be jumping around the way you normally do. Please take it easy, we really do just want to understand. There's so much about you and your friends that is just beyond belief."

The firecaster looked up. He still didn't trust them, but maybe they weren't as bad as he originally thought…except for mister business that it. Chris inherently did not like that man. Nothing about him felt right.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ayatheria, the night elf that had trained Chris in the art of hand to hand combat, had found a niche with the Special Forces team that her student had been working with.

"Captain Miller," she said in her sultry voice, "Tell me more about your adventures."

The shaven headed man ran a hand over his scalp and smiled. It had been a long time since he'd met someone that actually cared about his exploits. Most of the time people were usually yelling at him for being in the army or for his time in Vietnam. Aya presented a new element in his life.

"Well, it was 1968 and I had just graduated from jump school," he started.

"Jump school?" the night elf asked. It was cute in that innocent way, but Miller was careful not to underestimate her. He had seen her in action…

"Yeah, it's where we learn how to jump out of planes in combat situations and at very low altitudes. When you graduate jump school, at least back then, your CO shakes your hand, hands you a paper, and then shoves you through a door that leads to a bus that leads to a plane that leads to the frontline in some God forsaken country," he finished.

Aya bowed her head, "You lost friends."

Miller nodded, "A lot of 'em. They were just kids, we all were."

"I've lost many friends throughout the years, some to war, some to disease, and some to old age, but it always hurts. The pain never goes away, but those memories can help you. They remind you that there is a reason to keep going, fighting, pushing, learning, that you can never stop because if you do you'll let them down," the elf explained.

The pair of warriors looked at each other and then down. They had a lot in common, but they were from completely different worlds.

"Tell me more about the kid," Miller suggested, breaking the silence, "Where did he learn to do all of those tricks and things?"

"Those are not tricks, my friend. Those are skills he's developed over many, many years of training at my side. Chris' father was one of my best friends and after his murder I was asked to train him. He never ceases to amaze me when he suddenly picks up an ancient weapon and suddenly has a mastery over it. Even now, he just picks up one of your rifles or grenades and he inherently knows how to use it," Aya told him.

"Kid's a natural born soldier, I'll tell you that," Miller agreed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The last of the strange creatures fell to the final barrage of gunfire. Slowly the men moved in, checking each of the bodies, to ensure that they were dead before turning their attention to the truck full of crates. Danny hopped into the truck and pried the top off one of the crates, shining his light inside only to find smooth, black stones lined up in two rows. There were several layers just like the first within the same crate.

Jumping up behind him June looked at the stone in her beau's hand and went wide eyed. She knew right away what they were, but why were they here and how many were there?

"June, I…you okay?" the white haired teen asked.

"Do you have any idea what that is Danny?" she asked reaching for it.

Danny looked down at it then put it in her hand, "Not a clue, but judging from your reaction, I'm gonna have to say its something bad."

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe this," she told him, "These are shifting stones."

There was silence between them as June waited for him to react.

"Uh… shifting stones?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

June closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "These things can make anyone or anything look like anyone or anything they want."

"Seriously? That's awesome! It's a good thing we got to them before the creatures did," the halfa declared excitedly.

"It's not that simple," she told him grabbing his head and forcing him to look back into the box.

There were two rows of the rocks, reflecting the light of the flashlights, but there were six empty slots. Minus the one Danny and June had in there hands that meant there were five more shifting stones missing. June felt her heart thumping harder and harder against her chest. Things had just gotten a lot worse.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"My lord!" the Fright Knight yelled bowing to his leader, the ghost king, Pariah.

"Yes loyal knight, what is it?" the stone faced spirit asked.

"My lord, the magical forces are broken and in retreat. The realm is ours!" the Knight declared happily before realizing his mistake.

"Ours, you say?" Pariah said in a firm tone.

"Uh, I mean yours Lordship, yes yours!" the Knight spat out speedily as his king approached him, a fiery mace appearing in the king's hands.

Pariah brought the mace up and then slamming down into the Knight's head dropping the spirit to the ground. As he stood up the mace stuck out of his head causing him great pains.

"Never forget Fright Knight, you are my servant. The spoils of the war are not ours, but mine!" Pariah scolded him taking hold of the mace's handle.

Yelling as the king ripped the weapon from his head, the Knight managed to respond, "Of course lord, I meant to disrespect."

"That's better," Pariah told him phasing the mace away. "Now tell me what I have acquired."

The Knight pulled himself over to the tabletop map and grabbed a pointing stick, "Your forces captured Capital City on the first day of your invasion and then spread out from there. We have taken the Blazing Sands," he circled the large desert area of the map, "toppled the Steel Mountains and it orcs and dwarves," moving the pointer to the mountain range that covered nearly the entire northern region of the map, "and finally through use of your summoning stones, we raised the dead in the remaining regions to conquer everything else."

Pariah smiled as he rubbed his chin, "And what of the Black Palace?"

"Bla…Black Palace sire?" the Fright Knight asked nervously.

"The lair of my nemesis Loki, you fool!" the ghost king yelled shaking the throne room.

"My lord, we tried again and again, but none of us may enter the Black Palace," he explained.

"WHAT?!" Pariah screamed in outrage.

"My lord please!" the Knight yelled trying to stop his king from ripping him to shreds, "With Loki's forces in retreat and no further power bases for him to draw from, the god of mischief is trapped within his palace."

The stone faced spirit stopped. It was true that Loki could no longer draw power from the White Palace, his other refuge, and with his army scattered or escaped to the human world the god was all but defeated…however, as long as that creature still drew breath Pariah would not be satisfied.

"Very well my knight, prepare my steed!" the king commanded.

"Your steed sire?"

"It is time I ended this once and for all!"

To be continued…

Been a while hasn't it? Well, I'm back to finish this story once and for all, just like Pariah. Okay so this chapter covered a large period of time and a lot of things were happening and still are. In the next chapter we find out about the government's plans for our heroes, Jody finally sees Chris again, Danny and June are attacked again, Lila goes somewhere, Aya and Dartha do some stuff, and a major event will rock the fate of the world. Can our heroes deal with what comes next? Find out next time!


	11. Tragedy

Crossroads

Chapter 11: Tragedy

Month 3, Week 10, Day 77

"You're sure the children know nothing of our plans?" the colonel asked his partners.

The lieutenant nodded, "They still believe they are going to be given clemency once the war is over."

"Are we sure this is what is best?" the captain asked, "Why not just eliminate them and be done with it?"

"Just think of what we can learn from those extraordinary children gentlemen," a raspy old voice called from the shadows, "They may hold the very key to our country's survival in their hands."

The captain crossed his arms and stared hard at the old man, "Be that as it may, I still feel they are far too dangerous to be allowed to continue living."

"We would be throwing away millions of dollars and the lives of our soldiers if we did not attempt to learn something from the children!" the old man yelled.

"Gentlemen!" the colonel slammed his fist down, "Our orders are to capture the children once the mission is complete. That is exactly what we are going to do, got it?"

The men grunted in angry agreement.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Michael and Barbara Lee sat on the porch and looked out over their former neighborhood. Many of the homes had been converted into extra shelter for refugees hiding out from the war. The streets were littered with garbage and various other things. Cars were destroyed, light posts knocked down, you name it, it had been done. Their beautiful neighborhood had been destroyed.

Inside the Fentons kept on alert for any distress calls or alarms that came up. Since the war started, they had found that some of their weaponry was useful against magical creatures as well. They had heard from Danny several times as well. Maddie tried not to think about her little boy out there on the frontline fighting all those monsters and goblins and what not, but Jack was proud! He was blown away every time he saw a report about his son stopping another attack or saving some civilians. The older Fenton just couldn't get over how strong his son was. Maybe if he had given him half a chance, Danny would have been able to reveal his true strength a long time ago.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ashley peered out through the window of the room she shared with Jody and Ray-Ray as a man stumbled down the street. His clothes were shredded and he was badly injured.

"Ray-Ray! We've got a survivor!" the blonde witch yelled running past her hyperactive partner.

The tweens made it to the first floor and ran up to Jazz, explaining the situation. She immediately activated the Fenton Peeler and peered out into the street. The whole house quieted down, the lights went out, the people huddled together, and the guardians prepared themselves for anything.

Carefully, Jazz opened the door and stepped out into the street. She looked up for the Death Crows, down the street for the orcs and goblins, and then made a break for the man. As she ran to him she yelled for him to stay calm.

"Its okay, I'm human! We need to get you inside now!" the red head explained scooping the man up in her arms.

He panicked and wriggled as she carried him back to the house, slamming the door behind her. Inside, the Lees and Irwins took him from Jazz and set him down on a makeshift gurney they had cobbled together and carted him into the kitchen. There a neighborhood doctor that had stayed behind took a look at the man. He was holding a smooth, black stone and refused to let anyone take it from him. At the same time, the man refused to speak, either because he couldn't or had lost the will to. His responses to stimuli were mild and in the end the doctor decided that he was okay. A little malnourished, more than a little terrified, and slightly shell-shocked.

Out in the hallway, Jody stood talking with Jazz. They peered in at the man inquisitively. That rock he was holding was pretty strange, but maybe it held some kind of intrinsic value to him. It may have belonged to his child or something along those lines.

"How's the suit working sweetie?" Maddie asked coming up behind her daughter.

Jazz smiled as it rolled back into its unarmed form, "The Peeler works just fine mom. The strength enhancers you installed make it even lighter and the sensors are getting better and better with each new calibration."

"Great hon," Maddie said cheerily as she stepped into the kitchen to talk with the doctor and Michael.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Month 3, Week 10, Day 78

The sun shined through the red clouds bringing the crimson morning to a start. The vampires had retreated back to their lairs and now the streets were orc territory again. Chris made his way up the freeway, scorching the asphalt behind him as he kicked in his afterburners.

He felt so alive being away from the base and the frontline, able to do as he pleased, at least for the next three days anyway. He was on leave, his first so far, and was on his way back home. The colonel wanted him to take a driver, but stubborn as ever, Chris decided to fly.

His injuries had nearly healed allowing him to wear fewer and fewer bandages, but he still had to wear the one over his left eye. How was Jody gonna react to that, he thought. She was able to put up with the scars all over his body, mostly because his shirt covered them, but how would she deal with one right there on his face?

The army fatigues he wore had become strangely comfortable. He'd been in them for over two months now and they were starting to become a second skin. In fact, he thought that they made him look pretty cool. Yet another thing Jody was going to react to, but this one would be funny.

Chris came up on his turn off and performed a barrel roll as he flew through the exit, laughing the whole way. He was gonna be home just in time for his seventeenth birthday!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jasmine Lee fell through the wall of the building and latched onto the one next door as she fell. Behind her she could hear laughing. It had been too perfect, the ultimate setup, and she'd walked right into it! Dartha was off on another of her hunts, wiping out the goblins she came across and gathering information. She would be gone for days with no way of contacting her. Now it was just her, alone against them, the living shadows, the terror of the night, the drow!

Tarim stepped out into the crimson sunlight, clutching his scimitar in one hand and Jasmine's staff in the other. The old woman had no idea that she had been played until it was too late. The drow's pawn had played his part to the letter, now if only Tarim's other pawn had been successful. The children had fallen into the hands of the human military, but that would soon be rectified.

"Jasmine," the dark elf called, "do be a sport and die with vigor!"

The drow leapt out of the building swinging his blade for the former Te Xuan Ze only to slash concrete as his opponent let go and fell from the roof.

He watched her plummet only to grab hold of a laundry line and swing down to the street. Smiling as she looked back up at him, her smile faded when she saw another cloaked figure in the alley with two scimitars drawn. A pearly white smile flashed beneath the hood and then it was as if time slowed. The new drow dashed forward slashing catching the old woman off guard…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody ran as fast as she could, tears pouring from her eyes as he landed in the front yard. His smile appeared on his face and he opened his arms to catch her as she leapt at him. Their lips met and they spun as the teen lovers greeted one another for the first time in months. Behind them, Ray-Ray and Ashley along with Jazz and Monroe approached. They were all smiling big as the lovers parted. Chris stepped back letting everyone take in his new visage. They stopped smiling when they saw the bandage over his eye.

"What happened to you?" Jody asked pulling him close and touching the side of his head.

"It's a…it's a long story," he explained in a low voice.

The five kids made their way inside where the Lees, Irwins, and Fentons were waiting. At the door, Chris was pulled into a tight hug by his adoptive parents, but met with hard stares from the other parents. The Irwins had tried to warm up to the idea that their daughter loved him, but they couldn't get over the fact that he just wasn't good enough in their eyes. The Fentons on the other hand were happy to see him alive…as long as he brought back good news about Danny.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jasmine pushed her legs harder and harder as she ran from her foes. They were far too powerful for her to fight alone. Where was David? Just like him to disappear when she needed him most.

She turned a corner quickly, just as two crossbow bolts hit the wall behind her. Jasmine knew that if she was hit by one of those bolts, that was it! The story was over. She'd be paralyzed by the poison tipped bolts and then slowly tortured to death by the drow, not exactly a fate she was looking forward to.

The alley lead into a maze of other alleys, but any of them would be good enough as long as she was able to get away from the drow chasing her!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris explained what was happening at the frontline as he made his way to the kitchen. Inside he ran to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Mountain Dew. His eyes glowed and his mouth salivated as he tore the lid from the bottle and hoisted it up to his lips. The soda tasted so good as he guzzled it. Behind him, the adults laughed, well most of the anyway. It was so rare to see someone happy to be there, but when compared to his alternative, anything was better.

Suddenly the bottle fell to the floor and the remaining Dew poured out. Jody pushed past the adults just as the screaming started. Finally getting through the wall of people, she found Chris struggling with the man they had found earlier that day. They were grabbing one another by the collars and slamming each other into the cabinets.

"Chris what are you doing?!" Jody screamed at him.

"Get back, he's one of them!" he yelled back at her, slamming the man back against the wall.

The others could only look at one another as they continued to watch Chris pummel the survivor. Finally Jack and Robert stepped forward to restrain the teen while Maddie and Martha rushed to the man's side.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!!" Chris screamed struggling against the men.

No one noticed that Monroe had run into the room until they heard the little dog yelling with his thick Scottish brogue.

"Grab that man now! He's not what he appears to be!" the little dog yelled.

Michael and Barbara held the man as Chris finally broke free of Jack and Robert's hold. They couldn't believe it as he lunged at the man once more, knocking his adoptive parents off their feet. With a flash, the firecaster spun throwing the man out through the kitchen window.

"Everyone stay inside!" the bespectacled teen ordered going out after the man.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The former Te Xuan Ze skidded to a stop and fell to the ground as another cloaked being appeared before her. How many were there? It didn't matter, she just had to keep going to get away from them. She quickly dove down an access pipe, falling for several feet and landing with a thud, but finally close to the exit. She heard the elf land behind her and cock his crossbow, but she was gone before he had a chance to fire.

If Jasmine could just make it to orc territory, the drow would be held off by the brutish orcs and their stupidity giving her time to escape. Unfortunately what she didn't know was that there was something else waiting for her at the end of that tunnel…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris ran at the man only to be kicked in the groin and then in the face. The bandage over his eye turned red as his wound reopened itself. That was when the man started to laugh. It was an evil sounding thing, the kind of sound a psycho emits while killing a victim. The man threw the smooth stone down, shattering it. His body started to get distorted as the image of a man faded away and that of Largo appeared.

"You are such a fool to think you can stop me boy!" the demon councilman declared revealing a pair of gold gauntlets on his wrists.

Chris went wide eyed and turned to push people away, but they had been attracted by the sounds of the fight. It was too late, he'd lost this fight…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jasmine stood there, her body waving back and forth as she looked down. There was a red circle in the center of her chest and it was gushing blood. Struggling to lift her head, she found a familiar looking person aiming at her with a familiar looking gun. There was a click, a flash, and a bang, and then something hit her just to the right of the first hole.

She fell back, slamming against the cold ground. Her lungs filled with blood as the man in black walked over to her and aimed at her once more.

"Nothing personal Jasmine, they just offer a better future," David explained pulling the trigger one last time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The blast scorched the ground fifteen feet in every direction. The people that had gathered were set ablaze or torn to pieces as the blast ripped through them. Chris was sent flying backwards. The Lee house was burning as Jody picked herself up.

She looked outside, her ears ringing, her body shaking violently. Looking over to her parents, she found them huddled together crying as people outside screamed in horror and agony. Maddie was straddling Jack, pumping his chest as he lay unconscious on the floor. Michael and Barbara were trying to help people outside and all the while, the ringing in her ears continued.

Outside Chris stumbled to his feet, walking past the burning bodies of the dead, trying to get to those that were still alive. Suddenly he felt something climbing out of his stomach and he fell to his knees, vomiting as the sickness came over him. He'd been right there when the blast went off. If not for his ability to absorb fire he'd have been killed just like everyone else. He shuddered looking around at the people crying out beside him. Suddenly he heard it, like thunder, he heard it…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dartha swung back around to the apartment they were using as a base only to come skidding to a stop. The building was crumbling, the walls blown out, and Jasmine…where was she? What could have happened? What about David?

The orc girl dropped down to the street where she picked up the trail of a running battle. Following it as best she could she found the bolts of a drow crossbow and her heart skipped a beat. She already knew what had happened but she hoped against hope as she made her way through the maze of alleyways that she was wrong.

She tripped and fell to the ground as she came to the exit of the maze, but when she looked back at what she had tripped over she froze and went white as a sheet.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ray-Ray pulled on Chris' arm trying to get him to his feet, crying out that they still needed him. When Chris was finally up, the youngest Lee pointed up to the big black shapes that were charging the survivors of the blast.

"---- ----- ---- ---, --- --- ----- -- ---- ----- -----?" the boy yelled.

Chris stared at Ray-Ray, unable to understand anything over the ringing in his ears, but he moved forward towards where Ray-Ray had pointed.

The boy watched his older brother move forward, taking awkward steps until a large form appeared before him. The grunting thing grabbed Chris by the throat and lifted him off his feet, raising a large sword over its head.

Just as it was about to cleave Chris' head from his shoulders, its chest erupted in a cloud of smoke and it fell to the ground releasing Chris. Jazz pulled the teen to his feet and turned him to face the oncoming orc unit.

Chris shook his head and then narrowed his eyes summoning his power. In a flash he was tearing through any orc that got in his way. Jazz leapt into the fight right behind him, swinging left and right, pummeling orc after orc.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_I've lost many friends throughout the years, some to war, some to disease, and some to old age, but it always hurts. The pain never goes away, but those memories can help you. They remind you that there is a reason to keep going, fighting, pushing, learning, that you can never stop because if you do you'll let them down."_

Ayatheria

To be continued...

The unthinkable has happened, someone very near and dear to our heroes has fallen. The refugee camp has been attacked. The world as we know it is shattering. Will anyone survive this war?


	12. Picking Up The Pieces

Crossroads

Chapter 12: Picking Up The Pieces

Month 3, Week 10, Day 78

June watched the surgeons working as fast as they could. Their aprons were covered in blood as they moved their instruments with blinding speed. Plunk plunk plunk, the bullets were pulled from the body of her grandmother and tossed into a tray. That made her turn away. She couldn't believe it when the message came in over the radio. Her grandmother had been shot and the refugee camp had been attacked.

"What else could…" she started to say before she was shushed.

The purple skinned night elf removed her hand from over June's mouth, "Never say that or things **will** get worse."

The Asian teen nodded and then looked down at the ground. Ayatheria looked into the operating room through the window. How could she have not seen something like this coming? A spy within their own camp, a traitor no less…if only they knew who the traitor was!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I have brought him to you, just as you requested," Pariah spoke aloud.

A metal gloved right arm lifted up and began to glow. The fallen body of Loki wriggled and lifted into the air as the power overwhelmed it.

"You have performed your duties well good sir king," the pale skinned man said, his smile shining through the darkness that cloaked his face. "Now return to your men and push forward. The human world is your next battlefield. Wipe out all resistance whether it is magical or human. Don't leave a single man, woman, or child alive. Do all this and I will consider our bargain complete."

The stone faced king bowed before the shadowed man, "As you wish," then turned and left.

"Lydia," the pale man called out.

Beside him a green ghost appeared hidden beneath a red cloak. Pulling back her hood, she revealed her spiked hair and tattooed body.

"Take the hunter and dragon and bring me the halfa," he ordered.

The female ghost bowed then spun until she disappeared in a poof of ecto-plasmic smoke.

"Yes, excellent," the pale man said rubbing his hands together, "all my years of planning are about to pay off…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny sat with his parents and sister, finally explaining everything that he'd kept a secret fro such a long time. It was the first time they'd all been together since the war had started, much less spoken. At first his parents were just in total disbelief. How could they have not known Danny Phantom was their son? How many times had they tried to kill him? But Danny assured them he wasn't angry about any of that. He was just happy that they forgave him for lying to them all that time.

Jazz could only smile, knowing for several months that Danny was the hero of Amity Park. She'd helped him out several times after she'd figured out his secret, but now fighting ghosts was truly going to be a family affair.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Michael Lee paced back and forth outside of his home. It had been turned into an actual hospital now that the military had deemed it worthy enough to transport doctors to. His mother had been shot, his home nearly blown to pieces, his adopted son could control fire, his daughter was a superhero, and his youngest had been involved in fighting monsters for nearly seven years. He'd found all of this out about his children months ago, but now it was really hitting him. He only hoped that Dennis, his oldest, was safe in London where he was attending college.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice asked from behind.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Michael asked turning to face a bloody and battered Chris.

The teen plopped himself down and crossed his legs, "How was I supposed to tell you? If I'd told you that your daughter, son, and I fought magical creatures that only we could see, you'd have had me committed."

"You're my nephew, practically my son, and you didn't trust me enough to…"

"No! It's not like that!" Chris yelled, scaring his uncle, "No one is supposed to know except for those us whose job it is to protect the worlds from one another. We didn't ask for this damn job, it just happened to choose us!"

Michael shook his head as he looked down, "Couldn't you have tried…I don't know, not doing it?"

"Uncle Mike…it doesn't work like that," the teen tried to explain, tears beginning to well up in his eye. "Even if June and I wanted to quit, the monsters and the trouble they cause and maniacs and power hungry jack offs would still keep coming. We don't have a choice in the matter. Neither did my dad or Ah-Mah."

"Mom? You're telling me my mother fought monsters too?" the elder man asked.

"Fought? She pretty much taught me and June everything we know about the magical world. Hell, if it hadn't been for some strange fluke, you'd be out there fighting right now instead of June!" Chris explained.

"WHAT?!" Michael screamed, flabbergasted at that last comment.

"See, it goes like this," Chris started his tale…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Target sighted," the mechanized voice declared.

Lydia nodded, then pointed to a particular white haired teen. A gigantic blue scaled head came forward out of the bushes and puffed several small plumes of flame before leaping into the air.

Within in seconds, the air was filled with screams of terror as the dragon began its attack. Lydia smiled, nodding to the hunter, then sank into the ground as he ran forward.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June and Aya heard the screaming and ran out to the front of the house. Overhead an eerily glowing dragon flew, spitting fireballs at anything it could target. Beside them, Chris and Danny joined the pair and coming out of the garage in a hodgepodge suit of self-made armor, Dartha appeared. The five of them quickly devised a plan and set about executing it as Danny flew up to meet the dragon while Aya took aim with her mystical bow. Dartha and June decided to go after the new threat that suddenly popped up in front of them, a red cloaked ghost girl.

Just as Chris thought he was going to miss out on the battle, a third opponent appeared, this one dressed in black fatigues with silver "skin" and a blazing green Mohawk. The firecaster choked back a laugh only to have his smile disappear when a wrist rocket exploded next to him.

"Show me what you've got boy!" the hunter screamed, "Skulker loves the thrill of the hunt!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila continued tracking the scent for several city blocks. She mad sure to avoid the orc patrols as she made her way to the small garage. She'd followed an extremely familiar scent all the way there after hearing about Jasmine's shooting. The bigfoot decided to track her attacker instead of going to the refugee camp. She was afraid she'd break down and start crying if she saw what had happened to her friends and family.

Landing in front of the metal door, she reached down and lifted it up, rolling the door back to reveal a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and its rider, dressed all in black.

"He…hello," Lila said nervously as the rider slid back in surprise. "Wait, my name's Lila and I just need a place to hide for the night, the sun's about to go down and I'm to far away from my home to get back tonight. Can I please stay here?"

The man smiled and his blue eyes flashed as he responded, "Of course, there's plenty of food and blankets for me to share. Come on in and close the door behind you."

Lila shivered as she closed the door, the hairs on the back of her neck sticking up. Something wasn't right about this guy, but if she could just make it through the night without incident she'd try to pick up the trail, if there was anything left of it, in the morning.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny dive bombed the dragon, blasting it in the sides as flew past trying to get it to chase after him. From the ground Aya fired carefully aimed shot after carefully aimed shot trying to ground the beast, but to no avail. At the same time as the night elf was firing, she was also trying to avoid being roasted by the dragon's fireballs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dartha swung wildly at the living tattoos trying to surround her and June. The ghost girl may not have looked very tough, but her abilities were incredible! Each tattoo had its own unique personality and abilities, making it difficult to discern how to fight each one. June grabbed one by the throat and twisted, but the next one to land behind her latched on to the teen's waist and sank its razor sharp teeth into her side. This was getting to be very annoying.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris was lifted up over Skulker's head and slammed to the ground. Lying on his stomach and trying to get up, a big hand suddenly grabbed him by the chin and lifted his head back.

"I always heard stories about the firecasters and how powerful they were, but you are pathetic!" Skulker declared, "The last of your kind and you can barely offer me a decent fight, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers!"

The hunter brought his other hand down and a long, glowing blade shot out of his gauntlet. Chris screamed as the hunter brought the blade closer and closer to his throat…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The parents all watched the kids fighting ferociously and found themselves completely stunned. Their children were out there fighting to hold back the latest assault when only moments ago they had been in the warm embrace of their families. These children had truly become soldiers!

Suddenly a new shape soared through the sky above their heads, but this time it was on their side!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Danny leapt aside as the blazing fireball tore into the blue dragon he was fighting and sent the creature hurtling toward the ground. The white dragon that had suddenly appeared careened past the halfa, the familiar faces of the protective unit assigned to them smiling as they passed by.

Capt. Miller, Sgt. Lee, and Pvts. McGuinness and Loeb opened fire as Haku banked towards the ground, their rounds tearing into the silver "skinned" man about to take Chris' head off. Skulker howled in agony as he fell to the ground, his body sparking and spasming.

The four soldiers hopped off Haku's when he was close enough to the ground and joined June and Dartha in fighting off the vicious tattoos that surrounded the girls while Haku took off after the blue scaled dragon.

"You miss us?" Miller asked blasting a demonic, flying crablike tattoo to pieces.

June ducked under the blade of a bear-ninja looking one, smiling as Sgt. Lee shattered it with several well placed rounds, "You better believe it!"

The newly reinforced unit continued battling Lydia's tattoos slowly making their way to her as she created more and more to fill the gap created by her fallen critters. Above them all, Haku wrapped his white scaled serpentine body around the blue skinned ghost dragon he was fighting, and sank his rows of super sharp teeth in its neck.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila watched the man as he continued to work on his Harley-Davidson, talking a little as he tightened several nuts along the chassis. He told her his name was David and that he had been stuck in Orchid Bay during the evacuation and quarantine of the city. He'd been using the garage as a shelter for several days while he worked on fixing up the Harley he'd found there and as soon as it was done, he'd be leaving.

The only problem was that he was lying through his teeth. If he'd found the Harley there, there would have been tools and other things to properly maintain the bike. Also, if he'd been there for several days the garage would have a more lived in feeling, instead it looked and felt like he'd only just found the place. However, it wasn't until she saw the gauntlets around the man's wrists she knew she'd found the man she'd been searching for.

"So," she started, "where'd you get the gauntlets?"

The man stopped everything he was doing, freezing in his position, "They were a gift from someone years ago."

"That's funny, 'cause you see, those are one of a kind," she explained, noticing how the chain soon revealed a small butterfly pendant, "Made specifically for a friend of mine."

The man in black didn't look back at her, slowly reaching for his waist, "Really? Well, I don't know little lady, d'you ever think that your friend told they were one of a kind because she wanted you to think they were more special than they were?"

"Its possible, but I highly doubt it. Know why?" Lila asked, synching up, preparing to attack, "Because I'm the one that had them made for her."

The man in black had heard enough and spun, training his Colt at Lila, only to find that the bigfoot was already in the air flying at him, her teeth bared and her claws ready to rend his flesh from the bone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lydia began to panic as the heroes cut through the last wall of her tattoos. She backed away only to bump into Danny Phantom, the very person she'd been sent there to capture. There was a loud bang behind him as the ghost dragon slammed to the earth. Lydia yelped a little at that and when she turned to get away from Danny she met with a wobbling Skulker who sputtered something inaudible and then fell to the ground with a thud.

"You've been beaten, I think its time you surrendered," Danny explained putting a hand on her shoulder.

June noticed a smile on the ghost girl's face as soon a Danny had made contact and yelled out for him to let go just as a blinding white flash went off in their faces.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The man in black hit the inside of the garage door with a bang attracting the attention of a rather large group of vampires that was nearby. They hadn't fed in quite some time, orc, elf, human, even ugh…dwarven blood would be good.

English led the way, her tracking skills getting better and better every day of the war. Like Lila they had also followed the scent of Jasmine's blood to that very area.

The bloodsuckers spread out and around the small garage listening to the sounds of the battle held within, laughing and cheering as they heard the sound of bone breaking and blood spilling. It was invigorating for them! Finally, they heard a weak voice calling out, it was in agony as it spoke. Another, softer voice responded, and then, to the complete and total surprise of the vampires gathered there, the garage door opened slightly and a body dressed all in black was thrown through the small opening and the door was slammed down once more, a click following that, signaling the door was locked from the inside.

English and German landed on either side of David as he screamed in terror at the sight of the vampires. The pair laughed running their pale hands along his face and neck, laughing in delight as he squirmed and recoiled from their touch.

"How delicious!" English yelled grabbing David violently around the neck and leaping into the air, followed closely by German.

The pair landed on the roof of the building across from the tiny garage, tossing their meal in the middle of the circle of vampires.

"Dinner is served," German said excitedly as they leapt at David in a frenzy.

In the tiny garage, Lila listened uneasily as the screams of the traitor echoed throughout the alley. It was horrifying listening to the wet sounds of the bloodsuckers dining on her opponent, but she took some small comfort, knowing she had reclaimed the gauntlets for Jasmine.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Danny?!" June yelled running forward to where her beau had once been, "Danny where are you?!"

Behind her, Miller and Chris stood there watching the teen frantically running around trying to find the halfa. It was already too late, he was gone, taken by the tattooed ghost…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Welcome my young friend," a high pitched voice called out through the shadows.

Danny looked up from his seat, still trying to break free of his restraints. They were unlike anything he'd ever come up against before. All the energy he pored into them only made them tighter and soon it began to hurt as the restraints got tighter.

"You'll find that there is no escape boy," the voice called again.

In the darkness Danny saw a man dressed in a long grey trench coat approaching. His right arm was gloved in a long metal gauntlet with four glowing stones. The man waved his hand and the shackles glowed, then disappeared.

"Rise young man," the pale man said offering Danny a hand to pull himself up with. "Daniel, I have an offer for you…"

Danny felt sick in the pale man's presence, but something was making him feel compelled to stay. His brain was screaming, "Run, run, leave before he kills you!" but his body wouldn't listen. What was happening to him?

The pale man smiled wickedly, "Is there anything in this world you'd like to change?"

To be continued…

Danny captured! Jasmine in surgery! Loki and Pariah under Freakshow's control! Exclamation points!!!!!!!

Yeah okay, so this is follow up chapter to the previous one. Any loose ends have also been tied up, but the question is, have any of you (Not you Jussonic, because you already have!) figured out how all of this came to be? The war, the destruction, the death, all of it is the fault of one person and now he has one of the most powerful weapons in world. Can June and company pull through this? And worse, what happens when the government decides they've had enough of the B.S. and slam the hammer down on their magical special forces?


	13. It's A Freak's World!

Crossroads

Chapter 13: It's a Freak's World!

Month 4, Week 13, Day 99

It had been nearly three weeks since the tattooed ghost had abducted Danny. Jasmine was in recovery fighting for her very life. June had confined herself to the training room. Lila stood guard alongside Chris at the refugee camp. Jody and Jazz continued acting as nurses while Ray-Ray and Ashley were their aides. Ayatheria and Dartha had begun to hunt together not wanting to let each other hunt alone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The pale man walked in a circle around the raven haired teen, "It's absolutely amazing. I never would have suspected that the great Danny Phantom was really just a teenage brat. Even more surprising is your resilience. You're much stronger than I would have given you credit for."

Danny's head hung low, his arms and legs strapped to a large metal table that resembled an operating table. His body had several deep cuts along his arms and sides and he was covered in bruises. The torture, he told himself, was worth it because it kept Freakshow distracted if he could keep the clown distracted long enough for June and the others to finish the war, maybe, just maybe, they could take him down with out and major surprises.

Freakshow turned to face his prisoner, "I was going to simply wipe you and your friends off the face of the planet, but I just got a decidedly tastier idea…"

The raven haired teen tensed up as the pale man approached, the gauntlet on his arm glowing brightly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June fell to the floor of the training room she'd commandeered, tears in her eyes, her body coated in a layer of sweat. How could she have let that happen? Another mistake in a long line of them. The tattooed ghost was only stalling them, that much was obvious, but why? It hadn't been clear until it was too late.

"Danny…wherever you are, I'll find you and bring you back!" she declared leaping to her feet.

Across from her, a mannequin stood dressed in chrome plate mail battle armor. Beneath the chrome plates was a layer of leather and below that was a chainmail shirt. The leg armor was of the same material with only a chainmail layer below that. Her helm would cover most of her face, revealing only her eyes and a small section of her mouth. This was chrome with black highlights. Hanging across the chest of the mannequin was a leather sheath with containing the sword she'd taken from the orc back when all of this first started. It was the first time she'd ha to use her new battle armor and she prayed it would be enough. The last time she'd had to use armor of any kind was to defeat Ky Yee…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody dropped he scrubs in the bin and then made her way to the front porch to watch Chris for a while. He'd been so changed by this war, he was almost unrecognizable to her. His shorter hair was nice, but the scar over his left eye was a nasty one. It still occasionally bled, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Chris refused to let someone give him a glass eye instead choosing to wear a patch over it. A lot of people had taken to calling him "Patch" because of that.

The blonde teen cringed a little when he saw her. She still loved him as much as she did when they first started going out, but she had to admit that he scared her. All of that power and fury in his hands… plus he had a temper. What would happen if he just snapped all of a sudden?

"Don't think about that," she said to herself as she walked up to him and fell into his embrace.

He rarely spoke these days, choosing to allow his actions to speak for him, but on occasion he would tell her things. Things like how much he loved and needed her, how he was always worried to go out on patrol knowing the refugee camp was a target now, and how the war was getting worse. She liked knowing how much he cared about her, but it somehow didn't sound right in her ears. Still, she loved him, at least she thought she did, and that was enough, she hoped…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The black cloaked ghost phase through the walls of the Lee house searching for his target. Finally he found his target. The brunette haired boy lay sound asleep, passed out on the floor. His glasses sat beside him along with a book he'd been reading when he fell asleep. The ghost stopped, pulled back his hood, and leaned down to awaken the target.

"Chris?" he called shaking the firecaster's shoulder, "Chris wake up, its Danny!"

"Whu?!" Chris said woozily flailing his arms as the ghost boy roused him, "Danny? How the…where've you been? We've all been…"

Danny quickly clamped a hand over his friend's mouth, "Be quiet and follow me, there's something really important I need to show you."

Chris nodded then yawned. Grabbing his glasses and scratching his head, the firecaster followed the halfa out to the front of the house.

"Alright, start talking, where have you been?" Chris demanded.

"I've been with Freakshow, working on an end to the war," Danny explained.

"Freakshow? Who the hell's Freakshow?" Chris asked.

"That would be me," a new voice called from behind.

As the firecaster spun to face this new audience, Danny grabbed him from behind and channeled a powerful burst of ghost energy into the firecaster's body causing him to blackout.

"Excellent work my young friend, truly excellent work," Freakshow commended his slave.

"Thank you…Master," Danny replied hoisting Chris over his shoulder.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Month 4, Week 13, Day 100

June and Lila searched frantically for any sign of Chris as they rode atop Haku. The trio flew on for several miles in a large circle, but could find no sign of their friend or of a struggle. What the hell was going on?! First Danny, now Chris? Something very big was brewing and it wasn't just the large, black storm clouds spitting bolt after bolt of lightning that told them that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Landing outside just as the wind started to get intolerable, June and Lila piled through the door while Haku slithered into the garage and rolled up into a ball.

"Any sign of him?" Jody asked greeting them with towels.

They both shook their heads, but to their surprise, Jody didn't get overly worried or upset. She remained calm and composed about the situation.

"I'm sure he's okay, just off doing his own thing, right?" the blonde teen surmised.

Lila carefully responded, "Yeah, right, I'm sure that's what he's doing."

Away from Jody, June and Lila began to question her attitude. It would be impossible for her to do anything to hurt Chris physically, but what was with this attitude and reaction of hers. Her boyfriend suddenly goes missing in the night, during the worst of the war no less, and she's not worried about him? June brought up the topic of the missing shifting stones, but Lila was convinced it really was Jody.

"There's no way to mask a scent and my nose knows that's Jody," the Bigfoot explained.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Outside, three cloaked forms approached the house, each of their eyes glowing brilliantly in the darkness of the storm. There they stood, two black cloaks and a red one, waiting right outside the house for a signal. Suddenly, a section of the sky began to glow and a red beam poured down from it, igniting the ground it settled on. A shadowed form appeared in the beam and descended to the ground directly behind the cloaked figures.

"Now my slaves, it is time to take care of the trash," Freakshow said gleefully.

The red cloak pulled back to reveal Lydia as her tattoos came to life while the two black hoods pulled back to reveal Danny and Chris, their eyes glowing a sinister red, a deranged smile upon their lips.

The trio suddenly unleashed an incredible attack against the Lee house, shaking the home to its very foundation. Rushing out of the home in complete shock, June skidded to a stop and began to tremble.

"No…" was all she could say as Danny and Chris leapt at her with surprising ferocity.

Lila tackled both boys to the ground and leapt back to pull June to her feet, "Come on June, this can't really be them, they'd never let someone control their minds!"

The Bigfoot was met with a blast of red energy that sent her sprawling to the floor, "I assure you ladies, these are the genuine articles and they are very much under my power. Now gentlemen, I believe its time you show these ladies just how powerful you both are!"

June and Lila braced for the battle as Danny and Chris charged them, their powers blazing in their hands.

Within the house, Jody watched as her boyfriend began his brutal assault against Lila and Danny swung left and right at June. It was like watching a train wreck, you didn't want to watch, but you couldn't look away…

"The games have begun…" Freakshow declared laughing maniacally. Behind him the world began to reshape itself as Pariah and Loki approached. Both gods had blank stares on their faces and were followed by their remaining minions. This was going to be the final battle…

To be continued!

BAM! There you go, the set up for what I think will be my darkest, most dramatic battle I've ever written! Be here next time when, for the first time ever, June and Chris go head to head. Who will be the victor? Will either survive? And what about the rest of the creatures and spirits that have gathered? Its time for the back up to arrive!


	14. The Battlefield

Crossroads

Chapter 14: The Battlefield

Month 4, Week 13, Day 100

June dodge and ducked as Danny swung wildly. Each punch, despite the fact that they hadn't connected, caused her immense pain. How could she fight the boy she'd grown to love so much? And how could she break the hold on his mind?

Danny suddenly lunged forward, phasing headfirst into the ground, and then popped up behind her grabbing June around the throat. He tried to use the same technique he had used to subdue Chris the night before, but as his energy coursed through her body all it did was bring tears to her eyes.

"I can't fight him…" June managed to say as Danny continued strangling her, "I…just…can't…"

Just as she began to black out, the hands at her throat were pried loose and she was lifted to her feet.

"Don't you dare give up on me now!" Lila yelled trying to snap June out of her thoughts. "If you can't fight Danny, maybe we should switch dance partners."

The Asian teen looked over at Chris, who was trying to get the cloak off his head. It seems that Lila had taken a hold of it and tied it tightly over his head.

"Brothers and sisters fight all the time, right?" Lila asked.

"Looks like that's what it's come down to," June answered turning to face her brother.

Standing back to back, June and Lila tensed up as the boys charged them from either side. At the last possible second the girls leapt into the air causing the boys to run head long into one another.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Freakshow watched as the girls fought their friends. He couldn't hold back the laughter of seeing the battle. Meanwhile, the rest of his forces descended upon the refugee camp and its defenders, the remaining Fentons, Ray-Ray, Ashley, and Monroe. It would be like trying to stop the tide from coming in, it was impossible to stop his forces from finishing them all off.

Beside the pale man, Lydia appeared, her work done. Now she stood obediently at her master's side just as she always would. Freakshow had no need to control her the way he did the others in his employ. Lydia had fallen in love with the man and no matter how badly he treated her she always would.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pariah and Loki, working together for the first time ever, urged their combined army of two thousand warriors ranging from orc and goblin, to ghost and wraith, forward to destroy the last remaining human settlement in the area. The army base had been their first stop and it hadn't offered much resistance under the combined forces of magical and ghostly creatures. There may have been several survivors, but the humans had lost their foothold and were now on the retreat.

The army closed in, its fore runners already breaking through the defensive line when a blast of pure blue energy fired down from the sky and burned a line between the camp and the army. The blast was followed after by two others, a red and a green, as three new forms appeared on the battlefield.

A blue cloaked man landed and raised a power staff high above his head, its sapphire gem bustling with energy, "I hope we're not too late." Dennis Lee had finally returned home.

A white haired girl landed beside him, her clothing strongly resembling Danny's, "We made it just in the nick of time," she told him firing into the crowd with a long burst of ectoplasmic energy. Dani Phantom charged up another blast to follow the last one.

"At least we made it!" the final member of the team said holding up a banishing stone and unleashing a gigantic wave of its energy. She looked just like June except that the colors of her clothing were inverted, the pink strand in her hair was on the right side of her head instead of the left, and her voice was slightly more sensual. Enuj brushed her hair out of her face as she watched several of the creatures disappear in plumes of smoke.

Freakshow fumed and screamed, "WHAT?! There's more of them now? Crush them!?"

The armies rushed forward, several volleys of the ghost energy firing ahead while a wave of orcs charged.

The three stood in V-formation with Dani and Enuj covering Dennis long enough for him to unleash a spell so powerful the ground itself quaked under its might. Suddenly huge rock formations erupted from beneath the army sending many flying through the air while crushing others.

The camp now had a new defensive line that charged forward into the oncoming army in the hopes that they would be able to hold back the horde long enough for the refugees to escape…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila felt chills shoot through her body as Danny phased through her and swung, making himself corporeal just as his fist collided with her jaw. The Bigfoot was sent spinning to the ground and looked up just as Danny fired a shot of ghost energy at her. Lila just barely managed to spin out of the way as the energy tore through the ground leaving a smoking hole. It would only take one shot like that to end this fight, but she wasn't about to let that happen!

Leaping to her feet and charging forward, she tackled Danny to the ground and punched him again and again, screaming as each punch knocked him further and further into unconsciousness. Finally his eyes closed and he stopped squirming, but as Lila stood and began to walk away she felt a chill run through her body again. This time, though, Danny didn't reappear. Instead her hands swung up hitting herself in the face. The halfa had overshadowed her and was now in complete control of the Bigfoot's body!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June leapt over the next blast of fire, looking back quickly to see the ground scorched by the attack. It was true she would have a hard time fighting her brother, but she didn't have any problem hitting him the way she did with Danny.

"Chris, I'm not gonna hold back this time!" June yelled slugging him with a hook punch across the face.

The bespectacled teen was sent spinning into the air, but he suddenly stopped himself. June could only watch as he ripped away the cloak revealing black armor underneath. As the firecaster summoned as much energy as he could, "veins" along the arms and legs of the armor started to glow. With a flash two burning wings erupted from the back of the armor giving her brother the look of a demonic knight.

An evil smile crossed his face as he reached for his belt and pulled off a black sword hilt with no blade. June could already guess what would happen as the flames swirled from his right hand, up into the hilt, and formed a blazing sword blade.

She was in very serious trouble!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dennis had fallen in with Jazz who was armored up in the Fenton Peeler and tearing through the ghosts and goblins that had tried to corner her. The two looked to each other, smiled, then unleashed a wave of attacks shredding their opponents.

Ray-Ray had armed himself with several magical items he'd pilfered from June's room. The Gauntlets of Strength granted him super strength, or at least enough to go toe to toe with an orc in a wrestling match. He was also armed with several different kinds of magical stones, a teleportation mirror, and a diamond-bladed dagger. Using everything he'd found, he was able to hold his own, along with help from Ashley, who kept him covered using magical spells. The blonde witch also held back the ghost warriors that would phase into the ground and try to pull the two down.

Jack and Maddie laughed maniacally as they fired their various ecto-guns and lobbed ghost grenades. They knew the stakes, but at the same time, this was what they had been preparing for all that time. The fate of the world rested on all of them holding back this army that had amassed itself.

Finally Dani, Enuj, and Monroe had taken to fighting their way through the army to Pariah and Loki. The three of them were going right for the head's of the viper, but along the way a very serious question arose.

"Well lass, I can't say as I'm to pleased to see you again, but I am happy that yuir on our side this time," the pug announced.

Enuj leapt at an orc grabbing hold of its throat and twisting as she spun over its head and sent it flying into two oncoming orcs, "Look, I'm just trying to make up for the mistakes I made the last time I was here, alright? We can talk about this when the war is over and the world is safe!"

Dani only laughed as she grabbed a hold of the two of them and started phasing through the rest of the army.

There they were, Loki and Pariah. The two gods rose to battle the trio as they reappeared before them.

"This is gonna be fun!" Loki announced.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila struggled for control of her body as Danny continued forcing her to pummel herself. In her mind, she could hear him laughing, but he never said anything. That just frightened her more as she suddenly flipped herself forward, slamming down to the ground on her back and knocking the wind out of herself.

Danny wasn't done yet though. He spotted a dagger lying not to far from them and forced Lila to drag herself over to it. The Bigfoot realized what was happening when her hand clasped over the cold metal weapon. Fighting with all her strength, she battled to keep the dagger away from her body, but Danny was just so strong! At the last possible second she managed to force her head to the side as her hand brought the dagger stabbing down. She'd been lucky, but Danny was still mostly in control…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June ran as another slash from the blazing sword scorched the ground behind her. Unlike Danny, Chris did not laugh. The wicked smile had faded and was replaced with a look of sheer hatred as he attacked again, only this time, June grabbed his sword hand and in a quick fluid motion flipped him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground. The ground smoked and sizzled under his fiery wings.

She had bought herself just enough time to activate her own armor. Digging through her pocket she found the thick glass marble that Monroe had given her the previous night.

"_All you have to do is slam it on your bracelet and your armor will come to you wherever you are," Monroe explained dropping the small glass ball into her hand._

"I hope this works," she said slamming the marble on the bracelet as Chris rose to his feet.

He roared in fury and hatred as he charged, his sword held high above his head. June tensed up, sure that the same trick would not work twice as her brother brought his sword down in an arcing slice…

She opened her eyes to see that her own sword had managed to not only stop Chris' attack but sent him staggering back. Now, fully armored, June took a confident step forward.

"You wanted a fight, now you've got one. Let's go!" she yelled.

The two met half way as their swords collided, shooting sparks out. Again and again their blades met and fell away. June was sure she was just getting lucky. Swordsmanship was never really her thing, but she was able to not only hold her brother off, but also gain some ground against him.

Finally, after her last attack sent him back off balance, she charged forward, ducking under a wide slice, and slammed the flat edge of her blade into his ribs. The black armor cracked under her might and her brother hunched over, cradling his left side barely able to rise. He switched his sword to his left hand and held his side with the right. His wings flew out to either side and he lifted off the ground.

It was clear he was going to charge again, but June couldn't have counted on what would happen in his last assault…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dennis and Jazz joined up with Ray-Ray and Ashley as the forces around them dwindled. They were actually winning! Soon Jack and Maddie were with them too, as the group pushed forward into the mass, leaving a trail of broken bodies and ghostly weapons in their wake.

A goblin leapt forward knocking Jazz to the ground, but as it was about to bring its war hammer down on her once more, Dennis fried it with a fireball spell from behind.

"We gotta watch each other's backs," he said pulling her up to her feet.

Jazz blushed as she joined him in blasting two ghosts that had tried to aid the goblin.

Ray-Ray's diamond dagger cut through another ghost causing it to freeze up and wail as energy coursed through it disrupting its ghost field. Something about the dagger made it very useful against the spirits, but he wasn't sure what. The truth was he didn't care what as long as it got the job done!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dani and Enuj fired blast after blast at Loki while doing their very best to avoid Pariah's mace swings. It wasn't easy and if one of the tripped over the other, that would be the end of the story. Behind them Monroe held up a green stone and spoke in a language that sounded elven. A large bubble popped up around the five of them cutting them off from the foot soldiers that had begun to gather. What the pug hadn't counted on was the help in the form of Ayatheria and Dartha Ten Blades that had come into the fray from the other end. The night elf and orc had finally fought their way to the generals when the spell had gone up, but at least they still had a fight on their hands.

Aya slashed a goblin in front of her, then and orc behind her, then quickly pulled up her bow firing to the side. Her arrow rocketed forward like a hellfire missile, its magic cutting through the line and leaving a bloody trail.

To the night elf's side, Dartha swung her axe in a circle, spinning on her back foot chopping many of her opponents in half while also seriously maiming others. The blue orc girl was so happy to finally be mixing it up that she was blushing at the thought of getting to tear into more goblins. Her adrenaline was pumping so hard that her vision had actually gone red and she wasn't even using her axe anymore! Now she was lifting up and opponent that got in her way and ripping them apart with her bare hands!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A black hawk helicopter flew over head, the door pulling open to reveal Capt. Miller and his team along with Gunny and Morrison. The six of them, along with the pilot had been some of the only survivors from the attack on the military base and they were looking to scrap it with the creatures that had done it. The pilot drew down over the massive battle, opening up with his mini-guns to make a clearing for hi passengers to hop off and then took off back into the sky.

On the ground Miller, Lee, Loeb, McGuinness, Gunny, and Morrison stood in a circle firing full blast into the horde around them. They quickly learned that their weaponry, ranging from M-4s to M-249 SAWs were effective against the goblins and smaller critters, but the orcs were barely affected by the rounds being plugged into them. Throwing down his rifle, Gunny rolled under an orc's attack and leapt back to his feet holding a sword he'd pried from a goblin's dead hand. The others watched in amazement as the old marine gunny took the orc apart singlehanded with the blade.

Switching to melee weapons, the new unit moved out…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June's blade slammed against Chris' sending out even more sparks, and locking the swords together. They each pushed, neither gaining any ground, but when June spun to break the sword lock, Chris fell forward and the Te Xuan Ze found herself still attacking even though she had told herself not to try and hurt her brother.

The firecaster caught part of the blade along his right leg causing him to fall to a knee, but he wouldn't give up. His master's order still screaming in his mind, to kill all those who resist. Standing up, he clutched the flaming sword tightly in his left hand and ran forward swinging down in a diagonal motion.

June reacted a second late, missing her brother's blade with her own and catching his arm, just above the elbow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila finally broke free of Danny's control sending him crashing out of her body, but just as he turned to face her, she decked him with all her might. His head whipped to the side and he fell to the ground, not moving. He was finally knocked out, but as Lila turned to see how June was doing against her brother she saw the final strike.

The Bigfoot went wide eyed and brought her hands up to her mouth in sheer surprise as the blade of the Te Xuan Ze passed through the firecaster's arm. A crimson mist erupted from the black armor as the world slowed to a stop.

Chris stood still, his right arm over his left side, his left arm holding his sword out in front of him. June was just below her brother's arm, her own sword just above his arm. Her face was sprayed with blood as her sword severed the arm and she could only watch as her brother's left arm separated and fell from his body.

June was still moving, her instincts taking over entirely, as she spun up, backhanding her brother sending him into his own spin where he met her uppercut and fell to the ground unconscious. The flames in his armor sputtered and disappeared leaving only his life essence gushing from his stump…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dani spit in Loki's face as he held her by the neck right in front of his face. The god was going to enjoy snapping her in two when suddenly he froze. Behind him Pariah was also frozen, releasing his grip on Enuj and allowing the girl to fall to the ground. On the ground, Monroe held the green stone firmly in his paws as the two gods were lifted up and sent flying in different directions, shattering the protective bubble around the five of them.

The gods soon disappeared from sight as the spell continued pushing them away from the battlefield.

"What did you do to them?" Dani asked rubbing her neck softly as Enuj helped prop her up.

"I sent them to opposite corners of the globe to sit out the rest of the battle," Monroe explained walking up to the girls.

Expecting to find a mass of enemies waiting for them outside the bubble, the trio were extremely happy to find Ayatheria and Dartha laughing happily as they sat atop their piles of fallen foes.

"What took you so long dog?" Dartha teased.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Special Forces unit had joined up with the others as they finished off the last of the army. The last orc fallen, the remaining warriors turned tail and ran off. They knew when they were beat.

"Well, it looks like we did it," Miller happily announced looking over at Jack and the others.

"Looks like it," the elder Fenton happily agreed.

Suddenly the cheer disappeared as lightning struck the ground sending all of them sprawling to the ground.

"FOOLS! ARROGANT DISGUSTING INSIPID FOOLS! DO YOU RELAIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!!!!!!" Freakshow angrily yelled swatting Morrison away and reaching down to grab Ray-Ray by the collar. "You're all going to pay for this, but I'm going to start with you!"

Reaching back to batter the youngest Lee, Freakshow was tackled to the ground by Dennis, "You'll never ever touch my baby brother again!" but before he could punch Freakshow, the teen was blasted by Lydia who phased up through the ground to help her master to his feet.

"This is far from over!" Freakshow promised them as Lydia lifted him into the air as they flew off in retreat.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June sat with Chris, absolutely horrified at what she had done. His severed arm lay not five feet from her.

"Chris?" she asked trying to wake her brother up, "CHRIS?!?"

To be continued…

……well? What did you all think? I'm very happy with this chapter. I finally got to write a majorly climactic battle and it was a doozy! June vs Chris? Man-o-man that was fun! And don't worry, Loki and Pariah will be back, they can't be gotten rid of so easily.

It looks like the war is over, but there's still the one that started it all to deal with. Will Freakshow get away to start it all again? Can June and the others stop him? Who survived? And what about Chris? Will the loss of his arm at the hands of his sister affect him? Oh you better freaking believe it! Plus, what happens when June gets her hands on the Reality Gauntlet? All this and more in the final chapter of Crossroads!


	15. Reality As We Know It

Crossroads

Chapter 15: Reality As We Know It

June sat uncomfortably in the helicopter, Lila and a delirious Danny across from her. To her side sat Capt. Miller and Sgt. Lee. The others had wanted to come, but they were in no condition to be fighting…June wasn't sure any of them were.

In the back of her mind, the Te Xuan Ze kept reliving her battle with Chris and its nightmarish ending. She'd cut off her brother's arm!

Tears welled up in her eyes as that image burned into her mind. A soft hand on her shoulder brought her gaze up and to a bruised and dirty Danny. His white hair was messy, his uniform, at least what showed underneath the armor, was dirty and crumpled, and yet even with all of that his eyes still shown as bright as they had the day they had met.

He spoke no words, he just held her hand in his own and smiled a little smirk. It wasn't much, but it was all he had at the moment. He was still dealing with his own guilt. Just because he was under Freakshow's control didn't mean he didn't have to watch what his body was doing. That would be the last time that clown would ever control him again…

The black hawk arced over the city, following Main Street until it came to a devilish looking building. That was where the clown was, that was obvious. For all his planning and skill, Freakshow couldn't help showing off what he could do.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gunny and Morrison sat on either side of Chris' cot, watching his chest rise and fall. They were both amazed at the ferocity he had in his teenage body. It was twice as much as June had! The nurses had done everything they could to try and save his arm, but when it came down to it, there was no way to reattach it and give him full use again. Now the firecaster had one more scar, but this one couldn't be hidden underneath his shirt or behind his long bangs.

The blonde teen walked up to the foot of his cot and stared at him hard. She didn't know whether she should be angry, scared, or both. In truth, Jody didn't know where to start with him. Morrison smiled at Jody then pulled Gunny away to give the couple a moment.

"I don't know if you can hear me," Jody explained sitting down at his bedside. "I don't know if you can hear me, but there's something I have to tell you…I don't think you're going to like it."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dennis Lee squirmed as the nurse tied the bandages tightly around his ribs. They were so rough, weren't nurses supposed to be gentle and caring? Maybe military nurses were different.

At the table across from him, Jazz lay sleeping. Her head was wrapped up as were both of her arms. When Freakshow had called down the lightning, she'd been caught in the blast. The Fenton Peeler had taken the brunt of the blast, but even it couldn't hold up to a fully charged lightning bolt, especially one that was charged with magical properties.

Looking away from his comrade and outside, Dennis smiled slightly when he saw the beginning to set. It was beautiful…the first real sunset since the war started. The sky was no longer crimson red and overcast, but it had returned to an almost normal day…almost.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gunny and Morrison gave one another surprised looks when Jody ran from the room, tears pouring from her eyes. Quickly they burst through the door and found Chris still laying there. He hadn't moved an inch, but something had really upset the girl. Wasn't it obvious? She was distraught over her boyfriend's condition…or at least that was what they told themselves.

The reality was very different. Jody had poured her heart and soul out to Chris' unmoving form and told him how she'd grown to fear him as the war went on. She'd seen him do terrible things, they had been in the name of freedom and justice, but horrible none the less. It was a war, but she had found that she couldn't handle seeing this new change in him. Chris was no longer the innocent boy she'd fallen in love with. He'd been transformed into a soldier. He took life so easily, showing no remorse as he did it. Jody had tried to tell herself that it was a war and it was kill or be killed, but when she looked into his eyes that last time, she'd seen something different and new in him. Something that terrified her down to her very core.

It was with a heavy heart that she decided that she couldn't be with him anymore, but she didn't have the courage to tell him when he was awake. She just prayed that he could hear her…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Outside the camp, a line a black Humvees pulled to a stop. The doors to the vehicles all opened in unison and out stepped dozens of heavily armed soldiers in black fatigues. They were there to complete the mission laid out to them by the colonel.

As they approached the main house Pvt. McGuinness stood up and stepped into their path, "Nice of you gentleman to show up, but the battle's over. You missed the party."

None of the soldiers spoke, they just stepped aside as the Marine lieutenant approached. He reached into his coat and produced a folded paper.

"By order of the United States Government, the children and all other magical beings are to be taken into custody. Stand aside private," the lieutenant ordered.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Loeb yelled stepping between McGuinness and the lieutenant, "We owe our lives to those kids and you want to arrest them?"

"Are you questioning the orders of a superior officer?" the lieutenant asked angrily.

"No," Loeb said, "I'm telling you, you can shove those orders up your ass!"

The two privates didn't have time to react as the soldiers leapt at them knocking them to the ground. They both fought as hard as they could, but there were just too many and they were just so tired.

"Fan out," the lieutenant explained, "Make sure none of them escape. If anyone gives you a problem, lethal force has been authorized."

The men looked nervously at each other at that last comment.

"I don't like it either, but the government thinks these kids are too much of a threat to be allowed to go free and civilian lives are worth sacrificing if it means dealing with that threat, now carry out your orders!" the lieutenant commanded.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The black hawk lifted off of the roof leaving the five member team on the roof. Miller took the lead followed up by June, Lila, and Danny, while Sgt. Lee brought up the rear. At the roof entrance the two soldiers stood on either side of the door.

"Well Jim, what do you think?" Miller asked.

"Only way in Frank, may as well take it," Lee responded.

They kicked the door in and spread out in the next room. It was dark making movement difficult as the five of them rushed through.

Awkwardly making their way through the building in total darkness, the team finally came to a long well lit hallway. Waiting for them as they came around the corner was Lydia, her hood pulled pack, her cloak parted revealing her skimpy outfit. Around her, tattoo creatures phased into existence, some roaring, others drooling over the thought of the coming battle.

Miller and Lee could only watch as Danny screeched past them, firing blast after blast from either hand. The creatures that had amassed were quickly depleting as the halfa finally laid hands on Lydia.

The ghost was sent flying backwards from his blast and slammed into the wall, somehow remaining corporeal as she did so. She slumped to the ground and didn't get back up as Danny walked up to her and rolled her onto her back. The ghost girl was done, she'd expended too much energy to keep on fighting, this had only been for show. The main event was waiting for them on the other side of those large double doors.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody screamed as the soldier grabbed her, violently tossing her to the side as the men flooded into the house. Soon there were more screams and yelling as the men grabbed a hold of Ray-Ray, Ashley, and Dani.

Jack stepped out of the kitchen spinning wildly, trying to throw the men that hung from him off. Finally free he turned right into a gun barrel aimed carefully for his heart.

"Down on the ground, hands behind your head!" the soldier barked.

"If you hurt one hair on any of their heads I'll…" Jack was cut off as the rifle butt connected with the back of his skull.

Maddie watched in agony, unable to do anything as the men threw Dennis into a wall, pinning his arms behind his back and slapping flew cuffs on his wrists. The men were slightly more gentle with Jazz as two of them lifted her from the table and carried out of the house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gunny regretted what he had done, but he knew he had no choice. The soldiers were piling up at his feet as the marine pummeled one after another that came barging into Chris' room. Morrison was doing his best, but hand to hand wasn't his thing, he was a sharpshooter. One of the men punched him across the jaw knocking the man back. He didn't have time to recover as two of the soldiers piled on top of him.

It took three to hold Gunny down while the soldiers swooped in around Chris. There was no way to move him without disconnecting him from all the machines, but doing so could mean killing him. Their hesitation would cost them dearly as the purple flash moved quickly through the room.

Gunny gladly accepted Aya's hand as she pulled him to his feet. Morrison hopped up and grabbed one of the M-16s the soldiers had dropped. He decided he was going to make sure no one else came down that hallway while Gunny and Aya came up with a way to move Chris.

What they hadn't counted on was being completely surrounded…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Its time to end this, once and for all," June calmly said, pointing her sword at Freakshow.

The pale man sat in his throne staring at her, a devilish grin on his face, "Then come end it girl."

June gulped. She wanted nothing more than to tear that gauntlet off his arm and feed it to him, but she didn't know what kind of power he held. That same fear didn't seem to affect Lila and Danny who rushed up the stairs leading to the throne. The Bigfoot dove to the side as a blast of red energy erupted up through the staircase. Danny had phased down into the stairs just before the blast and reappeared directly behind Freakshow.

The clown didn't even try to resist as the pair grabbed him. Instead his body began to grow, his muscles becoming larger, his speed increasing exponentially, and his laugh causing the entire building to shake. Lila and Danny were both sent slamming to the ground as the clown made his way towards the others.

Miller and Lee opened up on the clown, both emptying the clips on their M-4s to no avail. Freakshow made a simple gesture and the bullets all stopped in front of him. Another small gesture and they were sent back at the soldiers, ripping through the ground and Miller's leg.

"Frank!" Lee yelled pulling out his sidearm and firing up at Freakshow.

Miller's leg had been hit in three places and was gushing. Lee was doing his best to try and hold Freakshow off, but his sidearm was quickly depleted leaving him unarmed against the mountain of muscle Freakshow had become.

June had seen enough and leapt onto the clown's back driving her feet into his kidneys as hard as she could. The pale man howled in rage, reaching up over his head and grabbing her by the hair. With a simple pull, June was sent flying across the room. She slammed hard into the double doors they had come through and felt herself blacking out as Freakshow swatted Lee away and stomped towards her.

"Is that all you can give me girl?!" Freakshow yelled, his voice booming through the large empty room.

The Te Xuan Ze staggered to her feet and stepped back into a fighting stance, but it was no use, she was too tired from all the fighting. Freakshow grabbed her around the waist and drove his hand into her chest plate, tearing the armor off and tossing it aside.

"NO!" Danny screamed as he flew headlong at the clown. "I won't let you hurt her again!"

The halfa's tackle didn't even budge the clown, instead only inciting his anger. Freakshow raised his right arm above his head and brought it slamming down on Danny's shoulder then lifted the boy by his collar and spun, throwing Danny straight up and through the roof of he building.

"Now then, where were we?" Freakshow asked turning his attention back to June.

The Asian teen was trying to stand up again, but she couldn't get to her feet before he grabbed her.

"That's right, we were right at the part where you die!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dartha felt the bullet tear through her side as she fell to her knees, dropping her axe. Another ripped through her shoulder flattening her out, but she wasn't done fighting, not yet. As long as she was still breathing, she would never give in and die!

Just as he always did, Haku appeared at the last possible second to lend a hand, or in his case a claw. Biting, slashing, and snarling, the white scaled dragon quickly made his way through the men, freeing Dennis and Jazz in the process who in turn freed the others, but when the group turned to face the remaining men and explosion went off in front of them.

An armored tank battalion made its way up the street firing several more salvos at the group. Each round exploded around them, showing them that if they didn't surrender they would be killed, but they had each made up their mind. It was better to fight and die on your feet than live the rest of your life on your knees.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Within Chris' room, Aya and Gunny had blown out a side window and were trying to carefully get him through it when Morrison came sliding through the doorway, blood pouring from a gunshot would to his gut. He was screaming in pain as the soldiers finally broke through and swarmed into the room, but just as Gunny and Aya thought they had lost a burning light caught their eye.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June slammed face first to the ground and rolled over onto her stomach trying to catch her breath. Freakshow had been pummeling her for a good minute or so when she finally broke free of his grasp and managed to get some distance, now she had to make sure she stayed out of his reach.

The two combatants charged, each screaming as they leapt at each other, only this time June grabbed onto Freakshow's right arm, the gauntlet arm in particular. She clung as tightly as she could to that metal glove as he punched her and slapped her with all his might, but she just refused to let go.

Somehow she knew that her only chance was getting that gauntlet off of him, but how? Her answer came from a very surprising source as one wall exploded revealing three silhouettes.

"You dare think you can control us?!" a gravely voice boomed through the room.

"We're going to show you the true meaning of pain!" another announced.

"But first," the third said smugly, "We'll be taking that gauntlet off your hands!"

June felt tears swell up in her eyes as Danny screeched toward her, phasing both her and the gauntlet off Freakshow as Pariah and Loki both swung in unison sending Freakshow slamming through the wall back out into the hallway. His body, back to normal, collapsed as he tried to stand. He was in such extreme agony as the gods reached for him and talked about how to divide him up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Boy am I glad to see you!" June cried pulling Danny into a tight hug.

The white haired teen hugged her back, but suddenly broke their embrace when he saw the gauntlet in her hands, "June! You've got the gauntlet! Now we can set everything right!"

The Asian teen looked down at the metal glove in her hands. This is what had caused all of that destruction, that heart ache, and death, but now she could finally set it all right…she could do that and much, much more!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Lee house was rocked by an explosion as a fiery figure rose up from the ground. Its body was amorphous and left a blazing footprint with each step it took, but the real surprise was that Chris was fully conscious within the fiery form.

"You thought you could use us to fight your battles and then just lock us away when you were done?!?" he screamed as his form grew larger and larger.

Everyone was blown away by the sheer anger and hatred as the firecaster slapped tanks back, melting through the think armor plating on each. In a matter of moments the entire division was destroyed and only he stood in the street. Raising and pointing his right hand at the soldiers that had gathered around, Chris clenched a fist suddenly causing the rifles to explode in their hands. It was incredible watching it all unfold as he swept over the battalion that had gathered, sucking them all up into a huge, blazing cyclone and then dropping them like rocks all around.

It was literally raining men as Chris stomped toward the marine lieutenant. The battle was over and there was no way the magical creatures would ever be taken into custody with him defending them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Loki looked up from his work bending Freakshow's legs in the completely wrong direction. There was a tingling feeling on the back of his neck when he realized the Te Xuan Ze had slipped on the Reality Gauntlet and was beginning to effect the world around her.

In the room, Danny clung tightly to June as she turned to face the charging Loki. She snapped her fingers and suddenly the giant god was gone in a poof of smoke. That caught Pariah's attention, who dropped the shattered husk that was Freakshow when he saw June point at him.

"And when you wake up, you won't remember anything that's happened," June commanded causing Pariah to vanish. "Its time to set everything right," she said happily, gripping Danny's hand in her own.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris reached down for the lieutenant, his remaining hand a blazing orange flame when he suddenly stopped. All around him it was as if the fabric of reality was warping and then suddenly everything went black.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

One Month Later…

June stood with Danny, holding hands and looking out over the city. Below them, life had returned to Orchid Bay. The Te Xuan Ze had used the Reality Gauntlet to return things mostly to the way they were. What that meant was that the magical world was still known to the human world and in fact had begun to assimilate into one another.

Jasmine had recovered from her injuries and returned to her duties as guardian of the Te Xuan Ze. Her son Michael had come to talk to her about the secrets she had been keeping for all those years and why her duties had fallen to June instead of him. It hadn't been an easy conversation, but she was happy to finally be able to tell her family of the responsibilities it had.

Ayatheria and Dartha had returned once more to the magical world, determined to continue living their lives the way they had. Ray-Ray and Ashley had grown closer during the war and were now spending all of their time together, which was surprising as they already spent a lot of time together. The Special Forces unit returned to their duties in the military, but June had been sure to take special care of the men that had conspired to arrest and control them all. The colonel, captain, and lieutenant had had their minds erased and were each interred within asylums. She felt a little guilty about that last part, but they deserved whatever they got. Dennis and his team, Enuj and Dani, settled in with their friends in Orchid Bay. Things had truly returned to the way they were only better.

Better, that is, except for Chris and Jody. Nothing would ever be the same for them again. Jody's little talk with Chris while he was in the recovery room had been partly to thank for bringing Chris back to consciousness, but when all was said and done he was furious and depressed to no end over the breakup. But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. The Reality Gauntlet could reattach Chris' arm, but it wouldn't stay attached for some reason, so they used a spell that would permanently attach the arm to his body. The tattoos required for the spell would fade over time, but the arm would remain with him forever.

Lila and Chris had grown closer during the war and now spent a lot of time together, but no one knew what they did during that time. The Bigfoot spent most of her time out in the forested areas of Orchid Bay, happy to finally be able to bring knowledge of her people's existence to light.

All in all, things had managed to work out, even if there were still a lot of things that needed fixing. June turned to Danny and looked into his blue eyes.

"Tell me you love me," she said.

Danny rubbed his hand on her cheek, "I love you more than I ever have before," and with that he kissed her passionately.

The couple sat on the edge of the roof watching the sunset over the city dreaming of the future that was just over the horizon…

To be concluded…

Aww, happy ending…I liked this chapter, not as much as the last one, but hey, its still pretty high up there on my favorite things I've written list (which is really short because I typically hate what I write and think it could be a lot better). So, the war is over, the worlds have been merged, the gods have forgotten everything, and Freakshow? Well, you'll just have to wait to see what happened to him!

Be here next time for the Epilogue where we'll see what the new magic council will do about the state of the world. Plus, where's Chris been since the war ended? With Lila that's where, but is there something more than just friendship there? And be there to see Jasmine reveal the destiny of the team you've grown to love. They're not the same people you met at the beginning of this story anymore!


	16. Epilogue

Crossroads

Chapter 16: Epilogue

Juniper Kim Lee sat in the back of the chamber listening as the audience grew louder and louder. She'd been given a special invite by the magical community as one of its Heroes of the War, but now she was starting to wish that she'd turned down the invitation. Around her, elves, dwarves, goblins, demons, and other magical folk kept staring, almost like they were expecting her to do a trick for their amusement.

Phasing up through the seats and making himself visible, Danny Phantom landed next to June, planting a loving kiss on her cheek, "How's it going?" he asked smiling.

The Asian teen looked deep into his green eyes and forced a smile, "I'm getting a little nervous about this."

"What? Why? Its not like we're the topic of discussion here, they invited us," Danny comforted her, "Have you seen Chris?"

June shook her head. Her brother had also been given an invite, but whether or not he'd show was anybody's guess. Since the war's end, he'd been seen less and less, but when she did talk to him he sounded very different. Chris was much more light hearted and, hard as it was to believe, happier. Still he'd become something of a recluse.

Lower in the chamber, a familiar brunette entered along with a Night Elf and Orc. The three took seats near the floor, talking amongst themselves as they looked through the audience noticing emissaries of many of the races had actually come. This was a historic occasion, it was true, but at the same time it was the perfect opportunity for these races to take out their anger and frustration on one another. That was especially true for the orc leaders that had come.

The four orcs sat together, never speaking, but glaring evilly at the creatures around them. Dartha recognized the leader of her former tribe immediately. His name was Grugg the Vicious for the manner of which he fought. He was adorned in medals and awards that dangled from his blackened armor. At his hip hung an empty sheath which would have normally carried a red bladed sword, but since all weapons were forbidden in the chamber he was unarmed at the moment. Or at least that's what everyone thought. Dartha knew better than to trust Grugg to follow anyone's rules, especially those of races he felt were inferior to orcs.

"Aya, Lila," Dartha leaned over to whisper to her friends, "Keep your eye on the orc in the black. He may have turned over his sword, but I know him too well to believe that he would completely disarm himself."

Aya nodded in understanding while Lila stood and walked towards the stairs searching for June. The Bigfoot searched carefully for June and Danny, all the while keeping an eye on the other races around her. She was extremely uncomfortable when she passed the bog trolls who had long hunted the Bigfoot tribes for their pelts. The trolls watched her very carefully as she moved quickly by, recognizing her as a Bigfoot despite the fact that Lila was no longer covered in fur.

Finally she found the couple in the very back, at the top of the stairs, their arms wrapped tightly around one another.

"Lila!" June called rising to her feet to hug her friend, "How've you been?"

The Bigfoot smiled returning the hug and turning to hug Danny as well, "I'm hanging in there June. Its not easy getting used to the fact that every person I walk by recognizes me and tells me I'm a hero."

"Tell me about it," Danny added plopping back into his seat, "Hey, have you heard from Chris? He isn't returning my phone calls and I'm kinda worried about him."

Lila smiled as she shook her head, "He's fine, just busy doing his own thing. I talked to him just before I came here and he said he'd do his best to make it, but not to count on him to be here."

"What's his deal?" June asked.

It seemed odd that she would ask that about her brother considering that they used to do everything together and they never kept secrets from one another, but in recent months they'd actually started to drift apart.

"He's just trying to find himself is all," Lila explained, "You know how much the war messed him up. He lost his eye and arm, not too mention Jody. Chris' just putting everything back together."

June bowed her head at the lost his arm comment considering the fact that she's the one who had sliced it off, "How's is his arm?"

Lila smiled a little, "It's amazing! Its like he never lost it and it actually increased his power. Whenever Chris uses his left arm it acts like a power amplifier."

"Hmph and you were worried about him," Danny joked.

A sudden hush came over the audience as the lights dimmed. Lila squeezed onto the bench beside Danny and June as twelve people stepped into the center of the chamber. They were the newly elected council members and were the magical community's way of returning things to the way they were. One member from each of the main races and communities would hopefully ensure that balance was maintained among the races and cultures. It was kind of a congress for the magical world.

Slowly each member introduced themselves. There were three elves, two dwarves, a gnome, an orc, a goblin, a troll, and finally three humans. It was one of these humans that caught the eye of the audience, for it was none other than Jasmine Lee, the retired Te Xuan Ze.

"Thank you all for coming," Jasmine spoke, "And thank you for the support you have given us. We hope to earn the confidence you honor us with through the coming years. With the magical world now a part of the human world we will all be facing new challenges and problems and it is together that we will take each in stride!"

It was amazing, but the entire crowd burst out in cheer! Even the four orc chieftains were cheering for the new council. Maybe, just maybe this was the beginning of a future where the magical and human worlds could live in peace…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jody Irwin sat with Ophelia Ramirez and Roger Radcliffe. The trio of friends spoke about everything they'd experienced since the beginning of the war and the realization of the secrets June and Chris had kept from them. Jody explained the reasoning for the need for secrecy, defending their friends, but Ophelia's usual attitude made it somewhat difficult.

"I still can't believe they'd keep all of that from me, it's not like I'd go out and tell anyone!" Ophelia fumed.

"What about me?" Roger said, "Chris and me are supposed to be bros, you know?"

"Guys it's not like that, they didn't keep it from you because they wanted to," the blonde explained, "June and Chris weren't allowed to tell anybody."

"You knew," Ophelia responded.

Jody stopped. It was true, she knew, but it wasn't like she'd been told about it, she'd found out a lot of it on her own…well, maybe a little on her own and a lot of explanation from her ex-boyfriend.

"And what's the deal with you and the matchstick? Why are you sticking up for him?" Ophelia asked in a dour tone.

"Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean I don't still care about him Ophelia," she answered, "It's just that…"

"I scare you," a new voice said from behind them.

They spun in surprise to find Chris standing before them. His left eye was no longer covered by a bandage. Instead a glass eye stared at them with a wicked scar over it. His arm was also uncovered revealing the spell markings and a massive scar where the arm had been reattached. He was a totally different person from the one they remembered, but he still wore his green shirt and khaki pants, and his yin-yang pendent still dangled from his neck.

"Its alright, you can admit it," he spoke softly, no anger or hurt in his voice, "I kinda scare myself what with the arm and eye. I'm only seventeen but I've got all this…this stuff wrong with me."

Jody stood, her stomach twisting, her heart wrenching as he spoke to them. He knew, he knew she was afraid, but he wasn't upset, he didn't look angry, he never brought it up beyond the fact that he knew he frightened her.

"Chris," she started to say.

Before she could say anything more he turned, "I'm not angry Jody, I never will be…"

With that his body began to burn and he softly took to the sky soaring off leaving the three friends behind.

"Wow," was all Ophelia could say.

It was all that needed to be said as Jody sat down between them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. Things had changed quite a bit in the last six months, but maybe there was something that hadn't…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June stood on the edge of the cliff looking out over the ocean. Behind her, Danny, Lila, Jasmine, Aya, and Dartha sat around a slow burning fire. As she listened to them joking with one another she thought of how everything had come to this. The war, everything that had changed because of it, how she'd changed. It was hard to believe that she was only fifteen and had been through all of that.

"Here they are!" a familiar voice called out as the Lee family stepped out of the forest to join the group. Michael, Barbara, Dennis, and Ray-Ray hugged Jasmine and greeted the others.

Behind them appeared Ashley, Jazz, Jack, and Maddie. The group was growing larger and larger as more of them appeared. Even Gunny and Morrison popped in to say hi.

June smiled happily as Jody, Ophelia, and Roger stepped into the clearing and ran up to hug them. There was a lot they had to talk about, but there weren't just friends, they were family. Nothing could change that…

Finally, just as they were all sitting down to start eating, an orange light streaked through the sky overhead. It stopped at the edge of the cliff and slowly approached them revealing a very welcome, bespectacled teen adorned with a huge grin.

"The group's all here!" Danny yelled running up to Chris and pulling him back around the fire until he was sitting across from Jody. Ophelia laughed a little bit at the corniness of it all.

Together, the group dug into their meal, swapping stories from the war and where they were now. The future was before them and now it seemed brighter than ever before…

The End

Alright gang, that's all for this one! Thank you very much to everyone who's read and to everyone who's reviewed, that's what kept me going as I was writing. Thank you all very much and I hope you enjoyed it!


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